DUKE 

UNIVERSITY 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/fouryearsinafric01ande 


or 


Four  Years  in  Africa, 


EMBRACING 


EXPLORATIONS  AND  DISCOVERIES 


DURING 

Four  Years’  Wanderings  in  tlie  Wilds 


SOUTHWESTERN  AFRICA. 

BY 

K-,  l 

CHARLES  JOHN  ANDERSSON. 

WITH  AN  INTRODUCTORY  LETTER 


By  JOHN  CHARLES  FREMONT. 


With  Numerous  Illustrations, 

Representing  Sporting  Adventures,  Subjects  of  Natural  History,  Devices  for  Destroy- 
ing Wild  Animals,  etc. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

John  e.  potter  & company, 

20^  31,  33,  and  35  North  Tenth  St. 


COPYRIGHT 

John  E.  Potter  & Company 


9/^.S 

(\5Sa-Pr 

A LETTER 

FROM 

JOHN  CHARLES  FREMONT. 


Gentlemen: — I willingly  comply  with  your  request;  for  I 
have  no  doubt  that,  in  publishing  an  American  edition  of  Mr. 
Anaersson’s  valuable  work,  you  will  render  an  acceptable  ser- 
vice to  the  cause  of  geographical  knowledge.  I am  but  too 
happy  to  do  what  I can  to  extend  either  the  fame  or  the 
influence  of  his  labors.  It  is  impossible  that  the  record  of  his 
strange  and  important  experiences  should  not,  everywhere,  be 
received  with  favor.  Particularly  by  Americans,  whom  a spirit 
of  intelligent  and  adventurous  curiosity  has  sent  abroad  over 
all  the  earth,  will  it  be  read  with  congenial  and  appreciative 
interest. 

It  is  needless  for  me  to  say  that  I read  such  books  as  this  of 
Mr.  Andersson’s  with  a peculiar  pleasure,  greatly  enhanced  by 
old  associations.  Familiar — although,  perhaps,  in  an  inferior 
degree — with  similar  " wanderings,”  I find,  in  the  brief  record 
of  a night,  or  the  journey  of  a day,  many  unwritten  things — 
much  that  the  traveler  afterward  thought  unworthy  of  men- 
tion, but  which,  at  the  time,  filled  his  mind  and  heart.  Nights 
of  sleepless  anxiety,  and  days  of  wearing  doubt  or  despondency, 
crowd  the  unwritten  page ; often  a chance  word  suggests  trains 
of  incidents  and  circumstances,  which  do  not  come  under  the 
eye  of  the  general  reader.  But,  aside  from  the  attractions  of 
personal  sympathy,  these  books  possess  a charm  for  me  which 
I confess,  I do  not  find  in  any  other  department  of  1:/ irature. 


Vi  LETTER  FROM  JOHN  CHARLES  FREMONT. 

It  hardly  occurs  to  our  minds,  that  the  thousands  of  years 
which  have  rolled  away,  impressed  with  the  infinite  activity  of 
the  human  race,  have  not  sufficed  to  make  known  to  us  our  own 
habitation.  We  have  extended  our  researches  into  other  worlds, 
material  and  spiritual,  but  have  not  yet  made  ourselves  ac- 
quainted with  the  earth  on  which  we  tread. 

Iii  these  latter  days,  new  and  grand  pictures  have  been  dis- 
played to  our  minds,  giving  a wider  field  to  the  imagination. 
That  primeval  darkness  which  hung  over  the  waters  of  the  cir- 
cumpolar sea,  and  obscured  the  interior  of  Africa,  has  vanished 
before  the  generous  courage  of  Kane,  and  the  brave  endurance 
of  Barth  and  his  companions.  Many,  before  them,  were  called 
to  the  noble  task  ; but  the  glorious  fruition  of  the  chosen  few 
was  long  delayed.  We  give  our  heart-felt  admiration  to  the  men 
who  have  penetrated  the  night  of  ages,  and,  in  bringing  its  se- 
crets to  the  light,  have  uncovered  the  graves  of  their  brave 
predecessors  who  perished  under  the  fevered  noon  of  Africa  and 
the  frozen  night  of  the  Polar  Sea. 

Remote,  uncertain,  beset  with  uncommon  and  undefined  dan- 
gers, these  journeys,  -like  that  from  whose  undiscovered  bourne 
no  traveler  returns,  seemed  to  fascinate  with  a mysterious  charm. 
The  dangerous  path  had  always  its  travelers.  One  by  one,  they 
disappeared  from  the  horizon  of  our  knowledge  ; but  unrecorded 
deaths,  and  regal  prohibitions,  the  regretful  sympathy  of  nations 
for  brave  lives  thrown  away,  all  were  ineffectual  to  chill  the 
enthusiasm  which  urged  new  followers  into  their  devoted  path. 

“ Heath's  couriers,  Fame  and  Honor,  called  them  to  the  field  again.” 

Those  adventurers  who  had  the  physical  strength  and  good  for- 
tune to  go  safely  through  their  enterprises,  from  whatever  field 
they  returned,  found  ever  a cordial  welcome,  and  a deep  and 
prevailing  interest  in  the  records  of  their  experience.  At  no 
period  of  the  world’s  history  has  this  interest  in  explorations 
been  more  universal  and  active  than  at  the  present  time.  The 
recent  important  geographical  discoveries,  which  may  be  con- 
sidered to  have  very  appropriately  closed  the  brilliant  era  of  the 
last  thirty  years,  have  roused  public  curiosity  to  an  unusual 


LETTER  FROM  JOHN  CHARLES  FREMONT. 


VU 


degree.  To  quote  the  language  of  an  eloquent  writer  of  our 
own  day,  himself  a distinguished  traveler — Mr.  Bayard  Taylor  : 
“ One  by  one,  the  outposts  of  barbarism  are  stormed  and  car- 
ried, advanced  parallels  are  thrown  up,  and  the  besieging  lines 
of  knowledge,  which,  when  once  established,  can  never  be  re- 
taken, are  gradually  closing  round  the  yet  unconquered  mys 
teries  of  the  globe.” 

Of  these  many  movements  of  exploration,  none,  certainly, 
have  evoked  a stronger  zeal,  or  given  occasion  for  nobler  displays 
of  energy  and  endurance,  or  are  likely  to  lead  to  more  signal 
consequences,  than  those  which  have  been  directed  toward  the 
great  African  continent.  That  vast,  populous,  and  fertile  region, 
over  which  the  profoundest  mystery  has  brooded  from  the  earli- 
est time,  which  was  known  to  the  ancients  only  for  a short 
distance  along  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  and  Red  seas, 
and  which,  up  to  a recent  day,  has  resisted  all  the  efforts  of 
modern  enterprise  to  penetrate  beyond  the  skirts  of  its  coasts,  is 
now  becoming  accessible,  and,  in  a few  years,  will  have  revealed 
to  us  all  its  secrets  and  its  treasure. 

The  recent  premature  death,  on  the  field  of  their  labors,  ot 
several  eminent  African  discoverers,  has  awakened  public  sym- 
pathy, and,  together  with  the  interesting  results  of  their  re- 
searches, has  turned  attention  in  that  direction  and  induced  a 
general  disposition  to  be  better  informed  in  regard  to  the  coun- 
try. On  this  account  Mr.  Andersson’s  narrative  will  be  parti- 
cularly acceptable.  His  labors  were  directed  to  the  same 
general  object,  and  belonged  to  the  same  epoch  as  that  body 
of  explorers  whose  efforts  have  almost  succeeded  in  throwing 
open  the  whole  interior  of  Africa.  A narrow  belt,  of  ten  or 
fifteen  degrees  of  latitude,  is  all  that  separates  the  fields  of  the 
northern  and  southern  explorers — all  that  shuts  out  from  ou. 
scope  of  view  the  entire  African  continent.  The  darkness, 
which  for  so  many  centuries  has  been  gathered  about  this  divi- 
sion of  the  globe,  is  almost  dispelled  ; and  it  is  not  an  unfound- 
ed anticipation  which  expects  to  see  Africa  traversed  from  Cape 
Colony  to  Tripoli  within  the  next  ten  years.  Should  this  prob- 
lem be  finally  solved,  and  the  conjecture  of  Mr.  Andersson, 


Vlll  LETTER  FROM  JOHN  CHARLES  FREMONT 

that  the  immense  and  rich  interior  of  the  country  is  pierced  by 
a fine  navigable  water,  be  realized,  we  may  expect  such  an 
advance  in  the  civilization  and  commerce  of  Africa  as  will  give 
to  it  a real  place  in  the  society  of  nations,  and  a sense  of  com- 
pleteness to  our  own  ideas  of  the  globe. 

Very  respectfully,  Gentlemen, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  C.  Fremont. 


Messrs.  Dix,  Edwards  & Co. 


PREFACE 

TO  THE  ENGLISH  EDITION. 


The  following  Narrative  of  Explorations  and  Discoveries  during 
four  years  in  the  wilds  of  the  Southwestern  parts  of  Africa,  con- 
tains an  account  of  two  expeditions  on  that  continent  between 
the  years  1S50  and  1854.  In  the  first  of  these  journeys,  the 
countries  of  the  Damaras  (previously  all  but  unknown  in  Europe) 
and  of  the  Ovambo  (till  now  a terra  incognita ) were  explored  ; 
in  the  second,  the  newly-discovered  Lake  Ngami  was  reached 
by  a route  that  had  always  been  deemed  impracticable.  It  is 
. more  than  probable  that  this  route  (the  shortest  and  best)  will 
he  adopted  as  the  one  by  which  commerce  and  civilization  may 
eventually  find  their  way  to  the  Lake  regions. 

The  first  journey  was  performed  in  company  with  Mr.  Francis 
Gallon,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  a work  on  “Tropical 
South  Africa;”  on  the  second,  the  Author  was  alone,  and  al- 
together dependent  on  his  own  very  scanty  resources. 

It  was  suggested  to  the  Author,  as  regards  the  first  journey, 
that  from  the  ground  having  been  preoccupied,  it  would  be  best 
for  him  to  commence  where  his  friend  left  off.  There  was  some 
reason  for  this.  But,  on  mature  consideration,  he  deemed  it  de- 
sirable to  start  from  the  beginning  ; otherwise  he  could  not  have 
given  a connected  and  detailed  account  of  the  regions  he  visited. 
Moreover,  from  the  Author  having  remained  two  years  longer 
in  Africa  than  Mr.  Gal  ton,  he  has  not  onlv  been  enabled  to  as- 
certain the  truth  respecting  much  that  at  first  appeared  obscure 


X 


PBEFACE. 


and  doubtful,  but  has  had  many  opportunities  of  enlarging  the 
stock  of  information  acquired  by  himself  and  friend  when  to- 
gether. Besides,  they  were  often  separated  for  long  periods, 
during  which  many  incidents  and  adventures  occurred  to  the 
Author  that  arc  scarcely  alluded  to  in  “ Tropical  South  Africa.” 
And,  lastly,  the  impressions  received  by  different  individuals, 
even  under  similar  circumstances,  are  generally  found  to  vary 
greatly ; which,  in  itself,  would  be  a sufficient  reason  for  the 
course  the  Author  has  decided  on  pursuing. 

As  will  be  seen,  the  present  writer  has  not  only  described  the 
general  appearance  of  the  regions  he  visited,  but  has  given  the 
best  information  he  was  able  to  collect  of  the  geological  features 
of  the  country,  and  of  its  probable  mineral  wealth  ; and,  slight 
though  it  may  be,  he  had  the  gratification  of  finding  that  the 
hints  he  threw  out  at  the  Cape  and  elsewhere,  were  acted  upon  ; 
that  mining  companies  were  formed,  and  that  mining  operations 
are  now  carried  on  to  some  extent  in  regions  heretofore  consid- 
ered utterly  worthless. 

The  Author  has  also  spoken,  at  some  length,  of  the  religion 
and  manners  and  customs  of  such  of  the  native  tribes  (previously 
all  but  unknown  to  Europeans)  visited  by  him  during  his  seve- 
ral journeys.  He  also  noted  many  of  their  superstitions  ; for, 
too  much  attention,  as  has  been  truly  observed,  cannot  be  paid 
to  the  mythological  traditions  of  savages.  Considerable  discre- 
tion is,  of  course,  needful  in  this  matter;  as,  if  every  portion 
were  to  be  literally  received,  we  might  be  led  into  grievous 
-errors.  Still,  by  attending  to  what  many  might  call  absurd 
superstitions,  we  not  only  attain  to  a knowledge  of  the  mental 
tendencies  of  the  natives,  but  are  made  acquainted  with  inter 
esting  facts  touching  the  geographical  distribution  of  men  ana 
inferior  animals. 

Since  the  different  members  constituting  the  brute  creation 
are  so  intimately  connected  with  the  economy  of  man,  and  since 
many  of  the  beasts  and  birds,  indigenous  to  those  parts  of  Africa 
visited  by  the  Author,  are  still  but  imperfectly  known,  he  has 
thought  it  advisable  to  enter  largely  into  their  habits,  etc. ; the 
rather,  as  natural  history  has,  from  childhood,  been  his  favorite 


PREFACE. 


xi 


pursuit,  and  is  a subject  with  which  he  therefore  feels  conversant. 
And  though  part  of  what  he  has  stated  regarding  the  rhinoceros, 
the  hippopotamus,  the  koodoo,  the  ostrich,  and  others  of  the 
almost  incalculable  varieties  of  animals  found  in  the  African  wil- 
derness, may  be  known  to  some  inquirers,  it  is  still  hoped  that 
the  general  reader  will  find  matter  he  has  not  previously  mei 
with. 

The  Author  has  endeavored  in  the  following  pages,  faithfully, 
and  in  plain  and  unassuming  language,  to  record  his  experiences, 
impressions,  feelings,  and  impulses,  under  circumstances  often 
peculiarly  trying.  He  lays  claims  to  no  more  credit  than  may 
attach  to  an  earnest  desire  to  make  himself  useful,  and  to  fur- 
ther the  cause  of  science. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  his  career  as  an  explorer  and 
pioneer  to  civilization  and  commerce  is  terminated.  Still,  he 
would  fain  hope  that  his  humble  exertions  may  not  be  without 
their  fruits. 

When  he  first  arrived  in  Africa,  he  generally  traveled  on  foot 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  day,  regardless  of  heat,  and  almost 
scorning  the  idea  of  riding  on  horseback,  or  using  any  other 
mode  of  conveyance.  Indeed,  he  was  wont  to  vie  with  the 
natives  in  endurance;  but  now,  owing  to  the  severe  hardships  he 
has  undergone,  his  constitution  is  undermined,  and  the  founda- 
tion of  a malady  has  been  laid  that  it  is  feared  he  will  carry  with 
him  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Yet,  such  is  the  perverseness  of 
human  nature,  that,  did  circumstances  permit,  he  would  return 
to  this  life  of  trial  and  privation. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

1.  Lions  pulling  down  Giraffe. 

2.  Malay 5 

3.  View  of  Walfisch  Bay  . . 10 

4.  Damaras 38 

5.  Hill-Damara  Pipe  ...  61 

6.  The  Lucky  Escape  . . 84 

7.  Shooting  Trap 97 

8.  Fan-Palm 127 

9.  Ovambo  Pipe 132 

10.  “ Dagger  and  Sheath  133 

11.  “ Hatchet  ....  133 

12.  “ Basket  for  Mer- 
chandise   133 

13.  Otjikoto  Fountain  ....  138 

14.  Interview  with  King  Nangoro  147 

15.  Ovambo  Beer  Cup  and  Beer 

Spoon 148 

16.  Ovambo 150 

17.  Ovambo  Guitar  ....  151 

18.  “ Meat  Dish  . . . 153 

j J.  “ Dwelling-house  and 

Corn-stores 155 

20.  View  in  Ondonga  . . . 156 

21.  Ovambo  Blacksmiths  at  work  157 

22.  Unwelcome  Hunting  Com- 

panions   165 

23.  Darnara  Grave  ....  177 

24.  Jonker  Afrikaner  ....  183 

25.  Wild  Boar’s  Head  ...  184 

26.  Oryx  or  Gemsbok  ....  217 

27.  Skull  of  a Bechuana  Ox  . ,247 


28.  Dacre’s  Pulpit 267 

29.  Negro  Boy 271 

30.  Pit-falls 291 

31.  Chasing  the  Eland  . . . 296 

32.  Heads  of  Rhinoceroses  . .301 

33.  Horns  of  Rhinoceros  Oswellii  303 

34.  Foetus  of  Rhinoceros  Keitloa  305 

35.  The  Approach  of  Elephants  324 

36.  More  close  than  agreeable  . 802 

37.  Desperate  Situation  . . . 335 

38.  Nakong  and  Leche  . . . 356 

39.  The  Bechuana  Picho  . . 362 

40.  Ascending  the  Teoge  . .381 

41.  The  Koodoo  .....  385 

42.  Tsetse  Fly 390 

43.  The  Reed-Ferry  ....  396 

44.  Bajmye 402 

45.  Medal 413 

46.  Hippopotamus  Harpoon  . . 416 

47.  The  Reed  Raft  and  Harpoon- 

ers 418 

48.  The  Spear 118 

49.  Harpooning  Hippopotamus  419 

50.  Egyptians,  and  Hippopota- 

mus   422 

51.  The  Spear .423 

52.  The  Reel 423 

53.  The  Downfall 427 

54.  Author  and  Steed  broken 

down 432 

55.  Signal  Station  at  Cape-Town  433 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Departure  from  Sweden — Day  Dreams— Fraternal  Love — A Tempting  Offer 
— Preparations  for  Journey  to  Africa — Departure  from  England — Arrival 
at  the  Cape — Town  and  Inhabitants— Table  Mountain — Curious  Legend 
— Preparation  for  Journey  into  the  Interior — Departure  for  Walfisch 
Bay 1—9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Arrival  at  Walfisch  Bay — Scenery — Harbor  Described — Want  of  Water — 
Capabilities  for  Trade— Fish — Wild  Fowl — Mirage — Sand  Fountain — The 
Bush-tick — The  Naras — Quadrupeds  Scarce — Meeting  the  Hottentots — 
Their  Filthy  Habits — The  Alarum — The  Turn  Out — Death  of  a Lion — 
Arrival  at  Scheppmansdorf — the  Place  described — Mr.  Bam — Missionary 
Life — Ingratitude  of  Natives — Missionary  Wagons  . . 10 — 21 

CHAPTER  III. 

Preparations  for  Journey — Breaking-in  Oxen — -Departure  from  Schepp- 
mansdorf— An  Infuriated  Ox — The  Naarip  Plain — The  Scarlet  Flower — 
The  Usab  Gorge — The  Swakop  River — Tracks  of  Rhinoceros  Seen — 
Anecdote  of  that  Animal — A Sunrise  in  the  Tropics — Sufferings  from  Heat 
and  Thirst — Arrival  at  Daviep  : great  Resort  of  Lions — A Horse  and  Mule 
killed  by  them — The  Author  goes  in  Pursuit — A Troop  of  Lions — Unsuc- 
cessful Chase — Mules’  Flesh  Palatable  ....  22 — 31 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Gnoc  and  the  Gemsbok — Pursuit  of  a Rhinoceros — Venomous  Fly — 
Fruit  of  the  Acacia  Nutritious — Sun-stroke — Crested  Parrot — A Giraffe 
Shot — Tjobis  Fountain — Singular  Omelet — Nutritious  Gum — Arrival  at 
Richterfeldt — Mr.  Rath  and  the  Missions — The  Damaras  : their  Persons. 
Habits,  etc. — Lions  Troublesome — PanP—  Horse  Sickness  . 32 — 42 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Hans  Larsen — His  Exploits — He  joins  the  Expedition — How  People  travel 
on  Ox-back— Rhinoceros  Hunt — Death  of  the  Beast — “ Look  Before  You 
Leap” — Anecdote  proving  the  Truth  of  the  Proverb — Hans  and  the  Lion 
— The  Doctor  in  Difficulties — Sufferings  on  the  Naarip  Plain — Arrival  at 
Scheppmansdorf  . . ......  43 — 49 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Return  to  Scheppmansdorf — Training  Oxen  for  the  Yoke — Sporting — The 
Flamingo — The  Butcher  Bird  : curious  Superstition  regarding  it — Pre- 
paring for  Journey — Servants  described  ....  50 — 55 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Departure  from  Scheppmansdorf — Cattle  refractory  at  Starting— Tincas- 
Always  Travel  by  Night — Rhinoceros  Hunt — The  Author  in  Danger  of  a 
Second  Sun-stroke — Reach  Onanis — A Tribe  of  Hill-Damaras  settled  there 
— Singular  Manner  in  which  these  People  smoke — Effects  of  the  Weed — 
The  Euphorbia  Candelabrum — Remarkable  Properties  of  this  Vegetable 
p0is0n_G.uinea  Fowl  : the  best  Manner  of  Shooting  them — Meet  a Troop 
of  Giraffes— Tjobis  Fountain  again — Attacked  by  Lions — Providential  Es- 
cape-Arrival at  Richterfeldt 56 — 65 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A hearty  Welcome — We  remove  the  Encampment — An  Apparition — Auda- 
city of  Wild  Beasts— Depriving  Lions  of  their  Prey — Excessive  Heat — 
Singular  Effects  of  great  Heat— Depart  for  Barmen— Meet  a Troop  of 
Zebras — Their  Flesh  not  equal  to  Venison— The  Missionary’s  Wail — A 
Sad  Catastrophe— The  “The  Kameel-doorn”— Buxton  Fountain— The 
Scorpion — Arrival  at  Barmen.  ......  66  74 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Barmen— Thunder-storm  in  the  Tropics— A Man  Killed  by  Lightning— Warm 
Spring— Mr.  Hahn  : his  Missionary  Labor  ; Seed  Sown  in  Exceeding  Stony 
Ground— The  Lake  Omanbond— Mr.  Galton’s  Mission  of  Peace— The 
Author  meets  a Lion  by  the  way  ; the  Beast  bolts— Singular  Chase  of  a 
Gnoo — “ Killing  Two  Birds  with  One  Stone”— A Lion  Hunt— The  Author 
Escapes  Death  by  a Miracle — Consequences  of  Shooting  on  Sunday  75 — 85 

CHAPTER  X. 

A Christmas  in  the  Desert — Mr.  Galton’s  Return  from  the  Erongo  Moun- 
tain— He  passes  numerous  Villages — Great  Drought ; the  Natives  have  a 
Choice  of  two  Evils — The  Hill-Damaras — The  Damaras  a Pastoral  People 
—The  whole  Country  Public  Property— Enormous  Herds  of  Cattle— They 


CONTENTS. 


XVL1 


are  as  Destructive  as  Locusts  to  the  Vegetation — Departure  from  Richter- 
feldt — The  Author  kills  an  Oryx — The  Oxen  refractory — Danger  of  tra- 
versing dry  Water-courses  on  the  Approach  of  the  Rainy  Season — Message 
from  the  Robber-Chief  Jonker — Emeute  amongst  the  Servants — Depart 
for  Schmelen’s  Hope.  . . .....  86 — 91 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Sohmelen’s  Hope — Scenery — Missionary  Station — Raid  of  the  Namaquas— 
Ingratitude  of'the  natives — Jonker’s  Feud  with  Kahichene  ; his  Barbarities  ; 
his  Treachery— Mr.  G-alton  departs  for  Eikhams— Author’s  successful  Sport- 
ing Excursions — He  captures  a young  Steinbok  and  a Koodoo — They  are 
easily  Domesticated — Hyaenas  very  troublesome ; several  destroyed  by 
Spring-guns — The  latter  described — Visit  from  a Leopard;  it  wounds  a 
Dog  ; Chase  and  Death  of  the  Leopard — The  Caracal  . . 92 — 100 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Wild  Fowl  abundant — The  great  Bustard — The  Termites — Wild  Bees— 
Mushrooms — The  Chief  Zwartbooi — Return  of  Mr.  Galton — He  makes  a 
Treaty  with  Jonker — He  visits  Rehoboth— Misdoings  of  John  Waggoner 
and  Gabriel — Change  of  Servants — Swarm  of  Caterpillars — A Reconnoiter- 
ing  Expedition — Thunder-Storm — The  Omatako  Mountains — Zebra  Flesh  a 
God-send — Tropical  Phenomenon — The  Damaras  not  remarkable  for  Vera- 
city— Encamp  in  an  Ant-hill — Return  to  Schmelen’s  Hope — Preparations 
for  visiting  Omanbonde  . 101 — 109 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Depart  from  Schmelen’s  Hope — Meeting  with  Kahichene — Oxen  stolen — 
Summary  Justice — Superstition — Meeting  an  old  Friend — Singular  Custom 
— Gluttony  of  the  Damaras — How  they  eat  Flesh  by  the  Yard  and  not  by 
the  Pound — Superstitious  Custom — A Nondescript  Animal— The  Author 
loses  his  Way — Ravages  of  the  Termites — “Wait  a bit,  if  you  please” — - 
Magnificent  Fountain — Remains  of  Damara  Villages — Horrors  of  War — 
Meet  Bushmen — Meet  Damaras — Difficulties  encountered  by  African  Tra- 
velers— Reach  the  Lake  Omanbonde — Cruel  Disappointment.  110 — 122 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Omanbonde  visited  by  Hippopotami — Vegetation,  etc..  Described — Game 
somewhat  scarce — Combat  between  Elephant  and  Rhinoceros — -Advance  or 
Retreat — Favorable  Reports  of  the  Ovambo-Land — Resolve  to  proceed 
there — Reconnoitre  the  Country — Depart  from  Omanbonde — -Author  shoots 
a Giraffe — Splendid  Mirage— The  Fan-Palm— The  Guide  absconds— Com- 
motion amongst  the  Natives — Arrive  at  Okamabuti — Unsuccessful  Elephant 
Hunt — Vegetation — Accident  to  Wagon — Obliged  to  proceed  on  Ox-back — 
The  Party  go  Astray — Baboon  Fountain — Meeting  with  the  Ovambo  ; their 


CONTENTS. 


xviii 

personal  Appearance,  etc. — Return  to  Encampment — An  Elephant  killed — 
Discover  a curious  Plant — Immorality — Reflections  . . 123 — 135 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Depart  from  Okamabuti — Visit  from  a Lion — Amulets — Revisit  Baboon 
Fountain — Otjikoto  : a wonderful  Freak  of  Nature;  Remarkable  Cavern — • 
Natives  unacquainted  with  the  Art  of  Swimming — Fish  abundant  in  Otjikoto  ; 
Frequented  by  immense  Flocks  of  Doves — Panic  of  the  Ovambo  on  seeing 
Birds  shot  on  the  Wing — Arrive  at  Omutjamatunda — A Greasy  Wel- 
come— Ducks  and  Grouse  numerous — Author  finds  himself  somewhat 
"overdone” — "Salt-Pans” — All  “ look  blue” — A Second  Paradise — Hos- 
pitable Reception — Vegetation — People  live  in  Patriarchal  Style — Popu- 
lation— Enormous  Hogs — Arrive  at  the  Residence  of  the  redoubtable 
Na,ngoro  . . .......  136 — 145 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Visit  from  Nangoro — -His  extreme  Obesity— One  must  be  Fat  to  wear  a 
Crown — His  non-appreciation  of  Eloquence — Singular  Effects  of  Fireworks 
on  the  Natives — Cure  for  making  a wry  Face — Ball  at  the  Palace — The 
Ladies  very  attractive  and  very  loving — Their  Dress,  Ornaments,  etc. — 
Honesty  of  the  Ovambo— Kindness  to  the  Poor — Love  of  Country — Hos- 
pitality— Delicate  Manner  of  eating — Loose  Morals — Laws  of  Succession — 
Religion — Houses — Domestic  Animals — Implements  of  Husbandry — Man- 
ner of  tilling  the  Ground — Articles  of  Barter — Metallurgy  . 146 — 158 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  River  Cunene — The  Travelers  are  Prisoners  at  Large — Kingly  Revenge 
— Kingly  Liberality — Depart  from  Odonga — Suffering  and  Consequences 
resulting  from  Cold — Return  to  Okamabuti — Damara  Women  murdered  by 
Bushmen — Preparations  for  Journey — Obtain  Guides — Depart  from  Tjo- 
popa’s  Werft — Game  abundant — Author  and  three  Lions  stalk  Antelopes  in 
Company — Extraordinary  Visitation — The  Rhinoceros’s  Guardian  Angel 
— The  Textor  Erythrorhynchus — The  Amadina  Squamifrons  ; Singular 
Construction  of  its  Nest — Return  to  Barmen  . . . 159 — 168 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Damaras — Whence  they  came — Their  Conquests — The  Tide  turns — 
Damara-Land  only  partially  inhabited — Climate — Seasons — Mythology — 
Religion — Superstitions — Marriage — Polygamy — Children — Circumcision — 
Bury  their  Dead — Way  they  Mourn — Children  interred  Alive — Burial  of 
the  Chief,  and  Superstitions  consequent  thereon — Maladies — Damaras  do 
not  live  long  ; the  cause  thereof— Food — Music  and  Dancing — How  they 
swear — Power  of  the  Chieftain  limited — Slothful  People — Numerals — As- 
tronomy— Domestic  Animals ; their  diseases  . . . 169 — 18U 


CONTKNl S 


XI  Jk 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Dispatch,  a Messenger  to  Cape-Town — Depart  from  Barmen — Eik.  iams— 
Eyebrecht — Depart  from  Eikhams — Elephant  Fountain — Tunobis- -Enor- 
mous quantities  of  Game — Shooting  by  night  at  the  “ Skarm”-  The  Author 
has  several  narrow  Escapes — Checked  in  attempt  to  reach  the  Ngami — The 
Party  set  out  on  their  Return — Reach  Elephant  Fountain — .How  to  make 
Soap — Pit-falls — A Night  Adventure — Game  scarce — Join  Hans — The 
Party  nearly  poisoned — Arrival  at  W alfisch  Bay — A Tub  Adventure — Ex  ■ 
traordinary  Mortality  amongst  the  Fish — Author  narrowly  escapes  Drown- • 
ing — Arrival  of  the  Missionary  Vessel — Letters  from  Home — Mr.  Galtoni 
returns  to  Europe — Reflections  ......  181 — 195 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Capture  of  Young  Ostriches— Natural  History  of  the  Ostrich;  Where  found  ; 
Description  of ; Size;  Weight;  Age;  Voice;  Strength;  Speed  f Food; 
Breeding  ; Incubation  ; Cunning  ; Stones  found  in  Eggs  ; Chicks  ; Flesh — 
Brain  in  Request  amongst  the  Romans — Eggs  highly  prized— Uses  of  Egg 
shells— Feathers  an  Article  of  Commerce — Ostrich  Parasols — The  Bird’s  de 
structive  Propensities — Habits — Resembles  Quadrupeds — Domestication— 
The  Chase — Snares — Ingenious  Device — Enemies  of  the  Ostrich.  196 — 208 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Sudden  Floods — John  Allen’s  Sufferings — Hans  and  the  Author  enter  into 
Partnership — Young  Grass  injurious  to  Cattle — Depart  from  Walfisch  Bay — 
Attractive  Scenery — Troops  of  Lions — Extraordinary  Proceedings  of  Kites 
- Flight  of  Butterflies — Attachment  of  Animals  to  One  Another — Arrival 
at  Richterfeldt ; at  Barmen — Hans’  narrow  Escape — Self-Possession — Heavy 
Rains — Runaway  Ox ; he  tosses  the  Author — Depart  from  Barmen — Diffi- 
culty of  crossing  Rivers — Encounter  great  numbers  of  Oryxes  . 209 — 215 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Oryx  ; More  than  one  Species — Where  found — Probably  known  in  Eu- 
rope previous  to  the  Discovery  of  the  Passage  round  Cap  e-of-Good-Hope — 
Description  of  the  Oryx — Gregarious  Habits- -Speed — Food— Water  not 
necessary  to  its  Existence — Will  face  the  Lion- -Formidable  Horns — Their 
Use —Flesh — The  Chase  of  this  Animal  ....  216 — 221 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Arrival  at  Eikhams — Native  Dogs  ; cruelly  treated — Jonker  Afrikaner-  The 
Author  visits  the  Red  Nation  ; The  bad  Repute  of  those  People-—' The  Ai  - 
thor  attacked  by  Ophthalmia — The  Embryo  Locust-— The  ‘-Flying”  Lc  - 
oust;  its  Devastations — The  Locust  Bird— Arrival  at  Rehoboth  : The 
Place  described  .....  . . 222 — 229 


XX 


CON  T-E  NTS. 


CHAPTER  X X I Y. 

Return  to  Eikhams — Ugly  Fall — Splendid  Landscape — Jonker’s  Delinquen- 
cies— How  to  manage  the  Natives — The  Ondara — It  kills  a Man — How  kia 
Comrade  avenges  him — Medical  Properties  of  the  Ondara — The  Cockatrice 
— The  Cobra-di-capello — The  Puff-Adder — The  Spitting  Snake — The 
B.ack  Snake— Few  Deaths  caused  by  Snakes — Antidotes  for  Snake  Bites — 
Return  to  Rehoboth  ........  230 — 239 

CHAPTER  X X Y. 

The  Author’s  Tent  takes  Fire — He  loses  everything  but  his  Papers — He  is 
laid  on  a Bed  of  Sickness- — Want  of  Medicine,  etc. — Reflections — Whole 
Villages  infected  witii  Fever — Abundance  of  Game — Extraordinary  Shot  at 
an  Ostrich — A Lion  breakfasts  on  his  Wife — Wonderful  Shooting  Star — 
Remarkable  Mirage — Game  and  Lions  Plentiful — The  Ebony  Tree — Arri- 
val at  Bethany,  a Missionary  Station — The  Trouble  of  a large  Herd  of 
Cattle — A Thirsty  Man's  Cogitation — Curious  Superstition — The  Damara 
Cattle  described — People  who  live  entirely  without  Water— Cross  the 
Orange  River — Sterile  Country  ......  240 — 249 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Great  Namaqua-land — Its  Boundaries  and  Extent — Its  Rivers — Nature  of  the 
Country — Vegetation  and  Climate- — Geological  Structure — Minerals — “ Top- 
naars”  and  “ Oerlams” — Houses — Mythology  and  Religion — Tumuli— 
Wonderful  Rock — Curious  Legend  of  the  Hare — Coming  of  Age — The 
Witch-Doctor — Amulets — Superstitions — A Namaqua’s  Notion  of  the  Sun — 
Marriage — Polygamy — Children — Barbarous  Practice — Longevity — Singu- 
lar Customs — Ornaments — Tattooing — Arms — Idle  Habits— Fond  of  Amuse- 
ments— Music  and  Dancing — Spirits — Mead — Domestic  Animals  250 — 260 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Leave  the  Orange  River — Arrival  at  Komaggas — Gardening  and  Agriculture 
— The  Author  starts  alone  for  the  Cape — Colony  Horses — Enmity  of  the 
Boers  to  “ Britishers” — Dutch  Salutation— The  Author  must  have  been  to 
Timbuctoo,  whether  or  no — He  arrives  at  Cape-Town — Cuts  a Sorry  Figure 
— Is  run  away  with — A Feast  of  Oranges — Ghost  Stories — Cattle  Auction 
— Hans  and  John  Allen  proceed  to  Australia — Preparations  for  a journey  tc 
the  Ngami — Departure  from  the  Cape  .....  261 — 272 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A ival  at  Walfisck  Bay — Atrocities  of  the  Namaquas — Mr.  Hahn — His  Phi- 
iwntkropy — Author  departs  for  Richterfeldt— Shoots  a Lion — Lions  unusu 
ally  numerous — Piet’s  Performances  with  Lions — The  Lion  a Church-goer 
— Barmen — Eikhams — Kamapyu’s  mad  Doings,  and  Consequences  thereol 


CONTENTS. 


XXl 


— Kamapyu  is  mounded  by  other  Shafts  than  Cupid’s — Author  visits  Cor- 
nelius, where  he  meets  Amral  and  a Party  of  Griqua  Elephant  Hunters — 
Beaches  Behoboth — Tan’s  Mountain — Copper  Ore — Jonathan  Afrika — A 
Lion -sups  on  a Goat — A Lion  besieges  the  Cattle  . . . 273 — 28? 

CHAPTEB  XXIX. 

Dispatch  Cattle  to  the  Cape — Terrible  Thunder-storm — Trees  struck  by 
Lightning — The  Nosop  Biver — A Comet — The  Author  nearly  poisoned — 
Some  of  the  Men  abscond  ; they  return  to  their  Duty — Babel-like  Confu- 
sion of  Tongues — Game  abundant — Author  shoots  a Giraffe — Meet  Bush- 
men— Unsuccessful  Elephant  Hunt — Sufferings  from  Hunger — Tunobis — ■ 
Game  scarce — Author  and  Steed  entrapped — Pit-falls — The  Men  turn  sulky 
— Preparations  for  Departure  from  Tunobis — Vicious  Pack-Oxen — Conse- 
quences of  excessive  Fatigue — The  Jackal’s  Handy-Work — Tracks  of  Ele- 
phants— More  Pit-falls — Loss  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  Lion  and  the  Swedish 
Cross — Beach  Ghanze  ........  282 — 298 

CHAPTEB  XXX. 

Ghanze — Spotted  Hyaena — The  Bhinoceros — Where  found — Several  Species 
— Description  of  Bhinoceros — Size — Appearance — Age — Strength — Speed 
— Pood — Water — The  Young — Affection — Senses — Disposition — Gregari- 
ous Habits — Indolence — Domestication — Flesh — Homs — The  Chase — Mr. 
Oswell’s  Adventures  with  Bhinoceroses — A Crochet — Where  to  Aim  at  the 
Bhinoceros — Does  not  bleed  externally  when  wounded — Great  numbers 
slain  annually  .........  299 — 313 

CHAPTEB  XXXI. 

Departure  from  Ghanze — Nectar  in  the  desert — Difficulty  in  finding  Water— 
Arrive  at  Abeghan — Unsuccessful  Chase — A “ Charm” — How  to  make  the 
undrinkable  drinkable — An  Elephant  wounded  and. killed— Bold  and  coura- 
geous Dog — Kobis — Author  seized  with  a singular  Malady — Messengers 
dispatched  to  the  Chief  of  the  Lake  Ngami — A large  Troop  of  Elephants 
— Author  kills  a huge  Male — Lions  and  Giraffe — Author’s  hair-breadth  Es- 
capes : from  a Black  Bhinoceros  ; from  a White  Bhinoceros  ; from  Two 
Troops  of  Elephants — He  shoots  a Couple  of  his  Adversaries — Where  tc 
aim  at  an  Elephant  ........  314 32’’ 

CHAPTEB  XXXII. 

Timbo’s  Betum  from  the  Lake;  his  Logic;  he  takes  the  law  in  his  own 
Hands  Calf  of  Author’s  Leg  goes  Astray — A Troop  of  Elephants — Au- 
thor is  charged  by  one  of  them,  and  narrowly  escapes  Death — He  shoots  a 
White  Bhmoceros  He  disables  a Black  Bhinoceros — He  is  charged  and 
Desperately  bruised  by  the  latter— He  saves  the  life  of  his  Attendant, 


CONT  8NTS. 


: ::ii 

Kamapyu — Author  again  charged  by  the  Rhinoceros,  and  Escapes  destruc- 
tion only  by  the  opportune  Death  of  his  Antagonist — Reflections — He 
starts  for  the  Ngami  .......  328 — 339 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

The  Author  starts  for  Kobi.s — Meets  Bechuanas — False  Report — Wonderful 
Race  of  Men — The  Baobob  Tree — The  Ngami — First  Impressions  of  the 
Lake — Reflections — Experiences  some  Disappointment — Reaches  the  Zouga 
River  and  encamps  near  it — Interview  with  Chief  Lecholbtebe — Informa- 
tion refused — Immoderate  Laughter — Presents  to  the  Chief — His  Covet 
ousness — His  Cruelty — Formidable  Difficulties — Author  permitted  to  pro 
ceed  Northwards  .........  340 — 348 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  Ngami — When  discovered — Its  various  Names — Its  Size  and  Form — 
Great  Changes  in  its  Waters — -Singular  Phenomenon— The  Teoge  River — 
The  Zouga  River — The  Mukura  Mukovanja  River — Animals — Birds — 
Crocodiles — Serpents — Fish  ......  349 — 361* 

CHAPTER  XXXV.  ’ 

The  Batoana — Government — Eloquence — Language — Mythology — Religion 
— Superstition — The  Rain-maker — Polygamy — Circumcision — Burial — Dis- 
position of  the  Bechuanas — Thievish  Propensities — Dress — Great  Snuff 


takers — Smoking — Occupations— Agriculture— Commerce  — Hunting  and 
Fishing  ..........  361— 376 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Departure  for  Libebe — The  Canoe — The  Lake — Reach  the  Teoge— Adven- 
ture with  a Leclffi — Luxurious  Vegetation — Exuberance  of  Animal  Life- 
Buffaloes — The  Koodoo — His  Haunts — Pace — Food — -Flesh — Hide — Dis- 
position— Gregarious  Habits — The  Chase  , . . 377 — 388 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Tsetse  Fly— Confined  to  particular  Spots — Its  Size — Its  Destructiveness 
— Fatal  to  Domestic  Animals — Symptoms  in  the  Ox  when  bitten  by  the 
Tsetse 3S9--  392 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

The  Crocodile — An  Englishman  killed  by  one  of  these  Monsters — The  Omo- 
roanga  Vavarra  River — Hardships  — Beautiful  Scenery- — Lecholetebe’s 
Treachery — The  Reed-ferry  ......  393 — 397 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

The  Bayeye — Their  Country;  Persons ; Language ; Disposition  ; Lying  and  Pil- 
fering Habits — Polygamy  practiced  amongst  the  Bayeye — Their  Houses  - 


CONTENTS. 


XXlll 


Dress;  Ornaments;  Weapons;  Liquors;  Agriculture;  Grain;  Fruits; 
Granaries — Hunting — Fishing — Nets — Diseases — The  Matsanyana — The 
Bavicko — Libebe  ........  398 — 406 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Departure  from  the  Bayeye  Werft — The  Reed-raft — The  Hippopotamus 
Behemoth  ,or  Hippopotamus^ — Where  found — Two  Species — Description 
of  Hippopotamus — Appearance — Size — Swims  like  a Duck — Food— De- 
structive propensities  of  the  Animal — Disposition — Sagacity — Memory — 
Gregarious  Habits  — Nocturnal  habits  — Domestication — Food — Flesh — - 
Hide — Ivory — Medicinal  virtues  .....  407 — 415 

CHAPTER  X L I . 

The  Bayeye  Harpoon  the  Hippopotamus — The  Harpoon  described — -How 
the  Chase  of  the  Hippopotamus  is  conducted  by  the  Bayeye — How  it  was 
conducted  by  the  ancient  Egyptians — The  Spear  used  by  them — Ferocity 
of  the  Hippopotamus — Killed  by  Guns — Frightful  Accident — The  Down- 


fall   416—426 

CHAPTER  X L 1 1 . 

Return  to  the  Lake — The  Author  starts  for  Namaqua-Land  to  procure  Wa 
gons — Night  Adventure  with  a Lion — Death  of  the  Beast — Sufferings  of  the 

Author  429—433 


LAO  NGAMI, 


CHAPTER  I. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  SWEDEN DAY  DREAMS FRATERNAL  LOVE A TEMPT- 
ING OFFER PREPARATIONS  FOR  JOURNEY  TO  AFRICA DEPARTURE 

FROM  ENGLAND ARRIVAL  AT  THE  CAPE TOWN  AND  INHABITANTS — - 

TABLE  MOUNTAIN CURIOUS  LEGEND PREPARATION  FOR  JOURNEY  IN- 
TO THE  INTERIOR DEPARTURE  FOR  WALFISCH  BAY. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  the  year  1849,  that  I left  Gfothenbourg, 
in  a sailing  vessel,  for  Hull,  at  which  place  I arrived  in  safety, 
after  a boisterous  and  somewhat  dangerous  passage,  of  about 
fourteen  days’  duration.  Though  a Swede  by  birth,  I am  half 
an  Englishman  by  parentage  ; and  it  was  with  pleasure  that  I 
visited,  for  the  second  time,  a country  endeared  to  me  by  the 
ties  of  kindred  and  the  remembrance  of  former  hospitality. 

My  stay  in  England,  however,  was  intended  to  be  only  of 
short  duration.  I carried  with  me  thither  a considerable  col- 
lection of  living  birds  and  quadrupeds,  together  with  numerous 
preserved  specimens  of  natural  history,  the  produce  of  many  a 
long  hunting  excursion  amidst  the  mountains,  lakes,  and  for- 
ests of  my  native  country.  These  I was  anxious  to  dispose 
of  in  England,  and  then  proceed  in  my  travels,  though  to  what 
quarter  of  the  globe,  I had  scarcely  yet  determined. 

From  my  earliest  youth,  my  day-dreams  had  carried  me  into 
the  wilds  of  Africa.  Passionately  fond  of  traveling,  accustomed 
from  my  childhood  to  field  sports,  and  to  the  study  of  natural 
history,  and  (as  I hope  I may  say  with  truth)  desirous  of  ren- 


2 


FRATERNAL  LOVE. 


tiering  myself  useful  in  my  generation,  I earnestly  longed  to 
explore  some  portion  of  that  continent  where  all  my  predilec 
tions  could  be  fully  indulged,  and  where  much  still  remained 
in  obscurity  whit  h might  advantageously  be  brought  to  light. 
The  expense,  however,  of  such  a journey,  was,  to  me,  an  insur- 
mountable obstacle.  I had,  therefore,  long  since  given  up  all  idea 
of  making  it,  and  had  turned  my  thoughts  northwards  to  Iceland, 
a country  within  my  reach,  and  where  I purposed  studying 
the  habits  and  characteristics  of  the  rarer  species  of  birds  of 
the  northern  fauna.  While  at  Hull,  accordingly,  I consulted 
some  whaling  captains  on  the  subject  of  my  enterprise,  and 
had  almost  completed  my  arrangements,  when  a visit  to 
London,  on  some  private  affairs,  entirely  changed  my  desti- 
nation. 

Before  leaving  Hull,  I witnessed  a striking  example  of  that 
attachment  towards  each  other,  so  frequently  found  to  exist  in 
the  most  savage  animals.  By  the  kindness  of  the  Secretary, 
I had  been  permitted  to  place  my  collection  in  the  gardens  of 
the  Hull  Zoological  Society.  Amongst  others,  were  two 
brown  bears — twins — somewhat  more  than  a year  old,  and  play- 
ful as  kittens  when  together.  Indeed,  no  greater  punishment 
could  be  inflicted  upon  these  beasts  than  to  disunite  them,  for 
however  short  a time.  Still  there  was  a marked  contrast  in 
their  dispositions.  One  of  them  was  good-tempered  and  gentle 
as  a lamb,  while  the  other  frequently  exhibited  signs  of  a sulky 
and  treacherous  character.  Tempted  by  an  offer  for  the  pur- 
chase of  the  former  of  these  animals,  I consented,  after  much 
hesitation,  to  his  being  separated  from  his  brother. 

It  was  long  before  I forgave  myself  this  act.  On  the  follow- 
ing day,  on  my  proceeding,  as  usual,  to  inspect  the  collection, 
one  of’  the  keepers  ran  up  to  me,  in  the  greatest  haste,  ex- 
claiming: “Sir,  I am  glad  you  are  come,  for  your  bear  has 
gone  mad!”  He  then  told  me  that,  during  the  night,  the 
beast  had  destroyed  his  den,  and  was  found  in  the  morning 
roaming  wild  about  the  garden.  Luckily,  the  keeper  managed 
to  seize  him  just  as  he  was  escaping  into  the  country,  and, 
with  the  help  of  several  others,  succeeded  in  shutting  him  up 
again.  The  bear,  however,  refused  his  food,  and  raved  in  so 
fearful  a manner  that,  unless  he  could  be  quieted,  it  was  clear 
he  would  do  some  mischief. 

On  my  arrival  at  his  den,  I found  the  poor  brute  in  a most 
furious  state,  tearing  the  wooden  floor  with  his  claws,  and 
gnawing  the  barricaded  front  with  his  teeth.  I had  no  soonei 
-opened  the  door,  than  he  sprang  furiously  at  me,  and  struck 


PKFPARATIONS  FOR  JOURNEY  TO  AFRICA. 


3 


me  repeated  blows  with  his  powerful  paws.  As,  however,  I 
had  reared  him  from  a cub,  we  had  too  often  measured  our 
strength  together,  for  me  to  fear  him  now  ; and  I soon  made 
him  retreat  into  the  corner  of  his  prison,  where  he  remained 
howling  in  the  most  heart-rending  manner.  It  was  a most 
sickening  sight  to  behold  the  poor  creature  with  his  eyes  blood- 
shot, and  protruding  from  the  sockets — his  mouth  and  chest 
white  with  foam,  and  his  body  crusted  with  dirt.  I am  not 
ashamed  to  confess,  that  at  one  time  I felt  my  Own  eyes  moist- 
ened. Neither  blows  nor  kind  words  were  of  any  effect : they 
only  served  to  irritate  and  infuriate  him  ; and  I saw  clearly 
that  the  only  remedy  would  be,  either  to  shoot  him  or  to  re- 
store him  to  his  brother’s  companionship.  I chose  the  latter 
alternative  ; and  the  purchaser  of  the  other  bear,  my  kind 
friend  Sir  Henry  Hunloke,  on  being  informed  of  the  circum- 
stance, consented  to  take  this  one,  also. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  in  London,  Sir  Hyde  Parker,  another 
valued  friend  of  mine,  and  “ The  King  of  Fishermen,”  introduced 
me  to  Mr.  Francis  Galton,  who  was  then  just  on  the  point  of 
undertaking  an  expedition  to  Southern  Africa;  his  intention 
being  to  explore  the  unknown  regions  beyond  the  boundary  of 
the  Cape-of-Good-Hope  Colony,  and  to  penetrate,  if  possible,  to 
the  recently-discovered  Lake  Ngami.  Upon  finding  that  I,  also, 
had  an  intention  of  traveling,  and  that  our  tastes  and  pursuits 
were,  in  many  respects,  similar,  he  proposed  to  me  to  give  up 
my  talked-of  trip  to  the  far  north,  and  accompany  him  to  the 
southward — promising,  at  the  same  time,  to  pay  the  whole  of 
my  expenses.  This  offer  awoke  within  me  all  my  former  am- 
bition ; and,  although  I could  not  be  blind  to  the  difficulties 
and  dangers  that  must  necessarily  attend  such  an  expedition, 
I embraced,  after  some  hesitation,  Mr.  Galton’s  tempting  and 
liberal  proposal. 

Preparations  for  our  long  and  hazardous  journey  were  now 
rapidly  made.  An  immense  quantity  of  goods  of  every  kind 
was  speedily  amassed,  intended,  partly  for  barter,  and  partly 
for  presents  to  barbarous  chiefs.  Muskets,  long  sword-knives, 
boar-spears,  axes,  hatchets,  clasp-and-strike-light  knives,  Dutch 
tinder-boxes,  daggers,  burning-glasses,  compasses,  gilt  rings 
(copper  or  brass),  alarums,  beads  of  every  size  and  color,  wolf- 
traps,  rat-traps,  old  military  dresses,  cast-off  ambassadors’  uni* 
forms — these  and  a host  of  other  articles  too  various  to  enumer- 
ate, formed  our  stock-in-trade. 

To  the  above,  we  added,  mostly  for  our  own  use,  guns  and 
rifles,  a vast  quantity  of  ammunition  of  all  kinds,  instruments 


4 


DEPARTURE  FROM  ENGLAND. 


for  taking  observations,  arsenical  and  other  preparations  for 
preserving  objects  of  natural  history,  writing-materials,  sketch- 
books, paints,  pencils,  canteens,  knives,  forks,  dishes,  etc. 

It  was  also  deemed  advisable  that  we  should  take  with  us 
boats  for  the  navigation  of  Lake  Ngami — those  used  by  the 
natives  being  unsafe.  We,  therefore,  supplied  ourselves  with 
three,  each  adapted  for  a specific  purpose. 

Having  thus  provided,  as  far  as  possible,  for  all  emergencies, 
we  transferred  ourselves  and  baggage  on  board  the  splendid, 
but  unfortunate  ship,  the  Dalhousie.1  Here  we  found,  to  our 
dismay,  in  addition  to  a number  of  other  passengers,  several 
hundred  emigrants,  destined  to  the  Cape-of-Grood-Hope.  In- 
stead, however,  of  these  people  proving,  as  we  had  at  first 
anticipated,  a great  annoyance,  we  found  that  they  contributed 
considerably  towards  enlivening  and  diverting  us  during  a long 
and  tedious  passage. 

I am  not,  however,  about  to  inflict  upon  my  readers  the 
particulars  of  our  voyage  to  the  Cape.  Suffice  it  to  say  that, 
after  a few  days’  delay  at  Plymouth,  we  put  to  sea  in  half  a 
gale  of  wind,  on  the  7th  of  April,  18-50,  and  experienced, 
subsequently,  the  usual  vicissitudes  of  rough  and  smooth 
weather.  At  one  time,  we  were  carried  by  a gentle  breeze  past 
the  lovely  island  of  Madeira,  and  so  near  as  to  distinguish  its 
pleasant  vineyards,  and  neat,  pretty  cottages,  scattered  over 
the  mountain  side  to  the  very  summit ; at  another,  we  were 
driven  so  far  westward,  by  gales  and  adverse  winds,  as  to  sight 
the  coast  of  South  America  ; until,  at  length,  on  the  night  of  the 
23d  of  June,  the  much  wished-for  land  was  descried,  and  on 
the  following  noon  we  anchored  safely  in  Table  Bay,  after  a 
passage  of  eighty-six  days — a time  at  least  a third  longer  than 
the  average.  How  truly  welcome  to  my  eyes,  as  we  sailed 
into  the  bay,  was  the  fine  panoramic  view  of  Cape-Town,  with 
the  picturesque  Table  Mountain  rising  immediately  in  the 
background  ! 

Upon  landing,  we  took  up  our  quarters  at  Welch’s  hotel 
Our  design  was  to  stay  a short  time  at  Cape-Town,  in  order  to 
obtain  information  respecting  our  intended  route,  and  to  pro- 
cure whatever  was  still  wanting  for  our  journey.  We  then 


1 It  will,  doubtless,  be  remembered,  that,  in  a gale  of  wind  off  the  British  coast, 
the  Dalhousie  was  thrown  on  her  beam-ends,  and  foundered  in  half  an  horn  after- 
wards, when,  with  a single  exception,  every  soul  on  board  perished.  Out  of  the 
several  vessels  in  which  I have  at  different  times  been  a passenger,  the  Dalhousie 
m the  third  that  has  perished  shortly  after  my  leaving  her ! 


CAPE-TOWN  AND  ITS  INHABITANTS. 


5 


proposed  to  proceed  by  land  northwards,  taking  the  course  of 
the  Trans-Vaal  river.  It  will  presently  be  seen,  however,  that 
our  desires  in  this  respect  were  entirely  frustrated. 

To  give  to  an  English  reader  a full  description  of  Cape-Town, 
would,  indeed,  be  a superfluous  task.  I fear,  also,  that,  in  some 
respects,  I should  be  found  to  differ  from  other  travelers. 

Cape-Town  is  generally  described  as  a clean  and  neat  place. 
With  all  due  deference,  I must  dissent  widely  from  this  opinion. 
All  the  streets,  for  instance,  are  unpaved,  and  are,  moreover, 
half-filled  with  rubbish,  swept  from  the  shops  and  warehouses, 
until  some  friendly  shower  carries  it  away.  Undoubtedly,  the 
town  is  regularly  built,  with  broad  streets,  laid  out  at  right 
angles  to  each  other ; but,  as  almost  every  person  of  property 
resides  in  the  country,  few  handsome  dwelling-houses  are  to  be 
met  with — and  by  far  the  greater  number  are  in  the  Dutch 
style.  Here,  however,  as  everywhere  else  where  the  English 
have  obtained  firm  footing,  improvements  are  very  apparent ; 
and,  doubtless,  now  that  the  colony  has  obtained  its  own 
Legislature,  such  improvements  will  become  still  more  visible. 

No  one  can  be  at  Cape-Town  for  a single  day,  without 
being  struck  by  the  infinite  variety  of  the  human  race  encoun- 
tered in  the  streets — Indians,  Chinese,  Malays,  Caffres,  Bechuanas, 
Hottentots,  Creoles,  “ Afrikanders.”  half-casts  of  many  kinds, 
negroes  of  every  variety  from  the  east  and  west  coasts  of 
Africa,  and  Europeans  of  all  countries,  form  the  motley  popu- 
lation of  the  place. 

Of  all  these,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Europeans,  the  Malays  are  far 
the  most  conspicuous  and  important. 

They  comprise,  indeed,  no  inconsider- 
able portion  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
are,  moreover,  distinguished  for  their 
industry  and  sobriety.  Many  of  them 
are  exceedingly  well  off,  and,  not  un- 
frequently,  keep  their  carriages  and 
horses.  They  profess  the  Mahometan 
religion,  and  have  their  otvn  clergy 
and  places  of  worship.  Two-thirds 
of  the  week  they-work  hard,  and  de- 
vote the  remainder  to  pleasure,  spend- 
ing much  of  their  time  and  money  on 
their  dress — more  especially  the  women. 

These  latter  seldom  have  any  covering  for  the  head  ; but  the 
men  tie  round  it  a red  handkerchief,  over  which  they  wear  an 


6 


TABLE  MOUNTAIN. 


enormous  umbrella-shaped  straw  hat,  admirably  adapted  to 
ward  off  the  sun’s  rays,  but  useless  and  inconvenient  in  windy 
weather. 

The  Malays  are,  usually,  vei*y  honest ; but,  strange  to  relate, 
on  a certain  day  of  the  year,  they  exert  their  ingenuity  in  pur- 
loining their  neighbors’  poultry,  and,  Spartan-like,  do  not  con- 
side'*  this -dishonorable,  provided  they  are  not  detected  in  the 
fact : — 

“ To  be  taken,  to  be  seen, 

These  have  crimes  accounted  been.”  ' 

To  be  at  Cape-Town,  without  ascending  the  far-famed 
Table  Mountain,  was,  of  course,  not  to  be  thought  of.  The 
undertaking,  however,  is  not  altogether  without  danger.  On  the 
side  of  the  town,  access  to  the  summit  is  only  practicable  on  foot, 
and  that  by  a narrow  and  slippery  path  ; but,  on  the  opposite 
side,  the  Table  may  be  gained  on  horseback,  though  with  some 
difficulty.  The  whole  mountain  side,  moreover,  is  intersected 
by  deep  and  numerous  ravines,  which  are  rendered  more  dan- 
gerous by  the  dense  fogs  that,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year 
arise  suddenly  from  the  sea. 

One  fine  afternoon,  I had  unconsciously  approached  the 
foot  of  the  mountain,  and  the  top  looked  so  near  and  inviting, 
that,  though  the  sun  was  fast  sinking,  I determined  to  make 
the  ascent.  At  the  very  outset,  I lost  the  road  ; but,  having 
been  all  my  life  a mountain-climber,  I pushed  boldly  forward. 
The  task,  however,  proved  more  difficult  than  I expected,  and 
the  sun’s  broad  disc  had  already  touched  the  horizon  when  I 
reached  the  summit.  Nevertheless,  the  magnificent  panorama 
that  now  lay  spread  before  me,  amply  rewarded  me  for  my 
trouble.  It  was,  however,  only  for  a very  short  time  that  I could 
enjoy  the  beautiful  scene  ; darkness  was  rapidly  encroaching 
over  the  valley  below ; and,  as  in  these  regions  there  is  but  or  > 
step  from  light  to  darkness,  I was  compelled  to  commence  tin 
descent,  without  a moment’s  delay.  I confess  that  this  was  not 
done  without  some  apprehension  ; for,  what  with  the  quick- 
coming night,  and  the  terrible  ravines  that  lay  yawning  beneath 
my  feet,  the  task  was  anything  but  agreeable.  I found  it 
necessary,  for  safety,  to  take  off  my  boots,  which  I fastened  to 
my  waist ; and,  at  length,  after  much  exertion,  with  hands 
torn,  and  trowsers  almost  in  rags,  I arrived  late  in  the  evening 
at  our  hotel,  where  they  had  begun  to  entertain  some  doubt  of 
my  safety.  As  a proof  that  my  fears  were  not  altogether  1 
groundless,  a short  time  before  this,  a young  man,  who  was 


CURIOUS  LEGEND. 


7 


wandering  about  the  mountain  in  broad  daylight,  missed  his 
footing,  was  precipitated  down  its  sides,  and  brought  in  the 
next  day,  a mutilated  corpse. 

When  Europeans  first  arrived  in  the  Cape  Colony,  it  would 
appear  that  almost  all  the  larger  quadrupeds  indigenous  to 
Southern  Africa  existed  in  the  neighborhood  of  Table  Mountain. 
A curious  anecdote  is  preserved  in  the  archives  of  Cape-Town, 
relating  to  the  death  of  a rhinoceros,  which,  for  its  quaintness 
and  originality,  is,  perhaps,  worthy  of  record. 

Once  upon  a time — so  runs  the  legend — some  laborers,  em- 
ployed in  a field,  discovered  a huge  rhinoceros,  immovably 
fixed  in  the  quick-sands  of  the  salt  river,  which  is  within  a mile 
of  the  town.  The  alarm  being  given,  a number  of  country 
people,  armed  with  such  weapons  as  were  at  hand,  rushed  to 
the  spot  with  an  intention  of  dispatching  the  monster.  Its 
appearance,  however,  was  so  formidable,  that  they  deemed  it 
advisable  to  open  their  battery  at  a most  respectful  distance. 
But,  seeing  that  all  the  animal’s  efforts  to  extricate  itself  were 
fruitless,  the  men  gradually  grew  more  courageous  ; and  ap- 
proached much  nearer.  Still,  whether  from  the  inefficiency 
of  their  weapons,  or  want  of  skill,  they  were  unable  to  make- 
any  impression  on  the  tough,  and  almost  impenetrable  hide  of 
the  beast.  At  length,  they  began  to  despair,  and  it  was  a 
question  if  they  should  not  beat  a retreat ; when  an  individual, 
more  sagacious  than  the  rest,  stepped  forward,  and  suggested 
hat  a hole  should  be  cut  in  the  animal’s  hide,  by  which  means 
^asy  access  might  be  had  to  its  vitals;  and  they  could  then 
destroy  it  at  their  leisure ! The  happy  device  was  loudly 
applauded  ; and  though,  I believe,  the  tale  ends  here,  it  may 
be  fairly  concluded  that,  after  such  an  excellent  recommenda- 
tion, success  could  not  but  crown  their  endeavors. 

We  had  now  been  at  Cape-Town  somewhat  less  than  a week, 
and  had  already  added  considerably  to  the  stock  of  articles  of 
exchange,  provisions,  and  other  necessaries  for  our  journey. 
To  convey  this  immense  quantity  of  luggage,  we  provided  our- 
selves with  two  gigantic  wagons,  each  represented  to  hold 
three  or  four  thousand  pounds  weight,  together  with  a sort  of 
cart1  for  ourselves. 

Mr.  Gal  ton  bought,  also,  nine  excellent  mules,  which  could 
be  used  either  for  draught  or  packing;  two  riding  horses  ; and. 

1 The  term  “ cart”  in  this  sense,  implies  a large,  roomy,  and  covered  vehicle* 
capable  of  holding  four  or  six  individuals,  and  from  five  hundred  to  one  thousand- 
pounds  of  baggage.  It  is  usually  drawn  by  six  or  eight  mules  or  horses. 


3 


JOURNEY  DEFERRED. 


in  addition  to  these,  he  secured  about  half  a dozen  dogs,  which,  if 
the  truth  be  told,  were  of  a somewhat  mongrel  description. 

Mr.  Galton  also  engaged  the  needful  people  to  accompany  us 
on  our  travels,  such  as  wagon-drivers,  herdsmen,  cooks,  etc.,  in 
all  amounting  to  seven  individuals. 

Our  preparations  being  now  complete,  we  were  about  to  set 
out  on  our  journey,  when,  to  our  dismay,  we  received  informa- 
tion which  entirely  overthrew  our  plans.  It  was  reported  to  us 
that  the  Boers  on  the  Trans-Vaal  river  (the  very  line  of  country 
we  purposed  taking)  had  lately  turned  back  several  traders  and 
travelers,  who  were  on  their  way  northwards,  and  had,  more- 
over, threatened  to  kill  any  person  who  should  attempt  to  pass 
through  their  territories  with  the  intention  of  penetrating  to 
Lake  Ngami.  This  intelligence,  being  equally  unexpected  and 
unwelcome,  we  were  at  a loss  on  what  to  decide.  On  asking 
the  opinion  of  the  Governor  of  the  Cape,  Sir  Harry  Smith,  to 
whose  kindness  and  hospitality  we  were,  on  several  occasions, 
indebted,  he  strongly  dissuaded  us  from  attempting  the  route  in 
question.  “The  Boers,”  he  said,  “ are  determined  men;  and, 
although  I have  no  fear  for  the  safety  of  your  lives,  they  will 
assuredly  rob  you  of  all  your  goods  and  cattle,  and  thus  prevent 
your  proceeding  further.”  The  counsel  given  us  by  his  Excel- 
lency settled  the  point.  We  were,  however,  determined  not  to 
be  idle  ; but  it  was  by  no  means  easy  to  decide  on  what  course 
to  pursue.  As  the  whole  of  the  interior,  by  which  a passage 
could  be  obtained  to  the  Lake,  was  either  occupied  by  the 
Boers,  or  served  as  their  hunting-ground,  we  were  compelled  to 
choose  between  the  eastern  and  western  coasts.  The  former  of 
these,  however,  was  well  known  to  be  infected  by  fevers  fatal 
to  Europeans  ; while  the  latter  presented,  for  a considerable 
distance  northwards,  nothing  but  a sandy  shore,  destitute  of 
fresh  water  and  vegetation.  The  country  intervening  between 
the  western  coast  and  the  Lake,  moreover,  was  represented  as 
very  unhealthy. 

Whilst  in  this  state  of  uncertainty,  we  made  the  acquaintance 

'*  of  a Mr.  M , who  lately  had  an  establishment  at  Walfisch 

Bay,  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  about  seven  hundred  geo- 
graphical miles  north  of  the  Cape.  He  strongly  recommended 
us  to  select  this  place  as  the  starting  point  for  our  journey  into 
the  interior,  which  opinion  was  confirmed  by  some  missionaries 
whom  we  met  in  Cape-Town,  and  who  had  a settlement  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  bay  in  question. 

This  route  was  ultimately  adopted  by  us  ; but,  as  vessels  only 
frequented  Walfisch  Bay  once  or  twice  in  the  course  of  every 


JAIL  FOR  WALFlSCH  BAi. 


9 


two  years,  Mr.  Galton  at  once  chartered  a small  schooner,  named 
the  Foam,  the  sixth  part  of  the  expense  of  which  was  defrayed 
by  the  missionaries  referred  to,  who  were  anxious,  not  only  to 
forward  some  supplies,  but  to  obtain  a passage  for  a young 
member  of  their  society,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schoneberg,  who  was 
about  proceeding  on  a mission  of  peace  and  good-will  into 
Damara-land. 

As  our  plans  were  now  so  entirely  changed,  and  as  we  were 
bout  to  travel  through  an  almost  unknown  region,  we  thought, 
t expedient  to  disencumber  ourselves  of  whatever  could,  in  any 
way,  be  spared.  We  left,  accordingly,  at  the  Cape,  amongst 
other  things,  two  of  our  boats  ; taking  with  us,  however,  the 
other,  a mackintosh  punt,  as  being  light  and  portable,  hoping. 
Borne  day  or  other,  to  see  her  floating  on  the  waters  of  the 
Ngami. 

Our  arrangements  being  finished,  and  the  goods,  etc.,  shipped, 
we  unfurled  our  sails  on  the  7th  of  August,  and  bade  farewell  to 
Cape-Town,  where,  during  our  short  stay,  we  had  experienced 
much  kindness  and  hospitality. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ARRIVAL  AT  WALFISCH  BAY SCENERY HARBOR  DESCRIBED WANT  OF 

■WATER CAPABILITIES  FOR  TRADE FISH WILD  FOWL MIRAGE SAND  |j 

FOUNTAIN THE  BUSH-TICK THE  NARAS QUADRUPEDS  SCARCE MEET-  j 

ING  THE  HOTTENTOTS THEIR  FILTHY  HABITS THE  ALARUM THE  TURN-  ] 

OUT DEATH  OF  A LION ARRIVAL  AT  SCHEPPMANSDORF THE  PLACE  |' 

DESCRIBED MR.  BAM MISSIONARY  LIFE INGRATITUDE  OF  NATIVES 

MISSIONARY  WAGONS. 


In  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  of  August,  we  found  ourselves 
safely  anchored  at  the  entrance  of  Walfisch  Bay.  From  the 
prevalence  of  southerly  winds,  this  voyage  seldom  occupies 


VIEW  OF  WALFISCH  BAY. 


more  than  a week ; but,  on  the  present  occasion,  we  were  dou* 
ble  that  time  performing  it. 

The  first  appearance  of  the  coast,  as  seen  from  Walfisch  Bay, 
is  little  calculated  to  inspire  confidence  in  the  traveler  about  to 
penetrate  into  the  interior.  A desert  of  sand,  bounded  only  by 
the  horizon,  meets  the  eye  in  every  quarter,  assuming,  in  one 
direction,  the  shape  of  dreary  flats — in  another,  of  shifting  hil- 
locks ; whilst,  in  some  parts,  it  rises  almost  to  the  height  of 
mountains. 


HARBOR  DESCRIBED. 


11 


Walfisch  Bay  has  been  long  known  to  Europeans,  and  was 
once  hastily  surveyed  by  Commodore  Owen,  of  the  Royal  Navy. 
It  is  a very  spacious,  commodious,  and  comparatively  safe  har- 
bor, being  on  three  sides  protected  by  a sandy  shore.  The  only 
winds  to  which  it  is  exposed,  are  N.  and  N.  W. ; but  these,  for- 
tunately, are  not  of  frequent  occurrence.  Its  situation  is  about 
N.  and  S.  The  anchorage  is  good.  Large  ships  take  shelter 
under  the  lee  of  a sandy  peninsula,  the  extremity  of  which  is 
known  to  navigators  by  the  name  of  “Pelican  Point.”  Smaller 
craft,  however,  ride  safely  within  less  than  half  a mile  of  the 
shore. 

The  great  disadvantage  of  Walfisch  Bay  is,  that  no  fresh 
water  can  be  found  near  the  beach;  but,  at  a distance  of  three 
miles  inland,  abundance  may  be  obtained,  as  also  good  pastur- 
age for  cattle.  I mention  this  circumstance,  as  being  essential 
to  the  establishment  of  any  cattle-trade  in  future. 

During  the  time  the  guano  trade  flourished  on  the  west  coast 
of  Africa,  Walfisch  Bay  was  largely  resorted  to  by  vessels  of 
every  size,  chiefly  with  a view  of  obtaining  fresh  provisions. 
At  that  period,  certain  parties  from  the  Cape  had  an  estab- 
lishment here  for  the  salting  and  curing  of  beef.  They 
moreover,  furnished  the  guano-traders,  as,  also,  Cape  Town 
with  cattle;  and  had,  in  addition,  a contract  with  the  British 
Government  for  supplying  St.  Helena  with  live  stock.  The  lat- 
ter speculation  proved  exceedingly  lucrative  for  a time,  and  a 
profit  of  many  hundred  per  cent,  was  said  to  be  realized.  From 
some  mismanagement,  however,  the  contract  for  St.  Helena  was 
thrown  up  by  the  Government,  and  the  parties  in  question  were 
fined  a large  sum  of  money  for  its  non-fulfillment.  Shortly 
afterwards,  the  establishment  was  broken  up,  and,  for  several 
years,  the  house  and  store  remained  unoccupied.  But  they  are 
now  again  tenanted  by  people  belonging  to  merchants  from 
Cape-Town. 

Walfisch  Bay  affords  an  easy  and  speedy  communication  With 
the  interior.  By  the  late  explorations  of  Mr.  Galton  and  my- 
self, in  that  quarter,  we  have  become  acquainted  with  many 
countries  previously  unknown,  or  only  partially  explored,  to 
which  commerce  might  easily  be  extended. 

Walfisch  Bay  and  the  neighborhood  abounds  with  fish  of  vari- 
ous kinds : at  certain  seasons,  indeed,  it  is  much  frequented  by 
a number  of  the  smaller  species  of  whale,  known  by  the  name 
of  “ humpbacks,”  which  come  here  to  breed.  Several  cargoes 
of  oil,  the  produce  of  this  fish,  have  been  already  exported. 

At  the  inner  part  of  the  harbor,  a piece  of  shallow  water 


12 


FIS  H W I L D FO  W L A RCTIC  DUCK. 


extends  nearly  a mile  into  the  interior,  and  is  separated  from 
the  sea,  on  the  west  side,  by  Pelican  Point.  This  lagoon  teems 
with  various  kinds  of  fish  ; and,  at  low  water,  many,  that  have 
lingered  behind,  are  left  sprawling  helplessly  in  the  mud.  At 
such  times,  the  natives  are  frequently  seen  approaching ; and. 
with  a gemsbok’s  horn,  affixed  to  a slender  stick,  they  transfix 
their  finny  prey  at  leisure.  Even  hyaenas  and  jackals  seize  such 
opportunities  to  satisfy  their  hunger. 

Walfisch  Bay  is  frequented  by  immense  numbers  of  water- 
fowl,  such  as  geese,  ducks,  different  species  of  cormorants,  peli- 
cans, flamingoes,  and  countless  flocks  of  sand-pipers.  But,  as 
the  surrounding  country  is  everywhere  open,  they  are  difficult 
of  approach.  Nevertheless,  with  a little  tact  and  experience, 
tolerably  good  sport  may  be  obtained,  and  capital  rifle- practice 
at  all  times.  , Hardly  any  of  the  water-fowl  breed  here. 

Every  morning,  at  daybreak,  myriads  of  flamingoes,  pelicans, 
cormorants,  etc.,  are  seen  moving  from  their  roosting-places,  in 
and  about  the  bay,  and  flying  in  a northerly  direction.  About 
noon,  they  begin  to  return  to  the  southern  portion  of  the  bay, 
and  continue  arriving  there,  in  an  almost  continuous  stream, 
until  nightfall. 

The  way  in  which  the  “ duikers”  (cormorants  and  shags) 
obtain  their  food  is  not  uninteresting.  Instead  of  hovering 
over  their  prey,  as  the  gull,  or  waiting  quietly  for  it  in  some 
secluded  spot,  like  the  king-fisher,  they  make  their  attacks  in  a 
noisy  and  exciting  manner.  Mr.  Lloyd,  in  his  “ Scandinavian 
Adventures,”  has  given  a very  interesting  account  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  Arctic  duck  (harelda  glaciahs.  Steph.)  procures  its 
food  ; and,  as  it  applies  to  the  birds  above-named,  I cannot  do 
better  than  quote  him  on  the  subject. 

“ The  hareld  is  a most  restless  bird,”  says  he,  “and  perpetu- 
r'ly  in  motion.  It  rarely  happens  that  one  sees  it  in^a  state  of 
epose  during  the  day  time.  The  flock — for  there-are  almost 
\vays  several  in  company — swim  pretty  fast  against  the  wind ; 
nd  the  individuals  comprising  it  keep  up  a sort  of  race  with 
each  other.  Some  of  the  number  are  always  diving;  and,  as 
these  remain  long  under  water,  and  their  comrades  are  going 
rapidly  ahead  in  the  meanwhile,  they  are,  of  course,  a good 
way  behind  the  rest  on  their  reappearance  at  the  surface. 
Immediately  on  coming  up,  therefore,  they  take  wing,  and, 
flying  over  the  backs  of  their  comrades,  resume  their  position 
in  the  ranks,  or  rather  fly  somewhat  beyond  their  fellows,  with 
the  object,  as  it  would  seem,  of  being  the  foremost  of  the  party. 
This  frequently  continues  across  the  bay,  or  inlet,  until  the  flock 


MIRAGE . 


13 


is  ‘ brought  up’  by  the  opposing  shore,  when  they  generally  all 
take  wing  and  move  off  elsewhere.  ***** 
‘Fair  play  is  a jewel,’  says  the  old  saw,  and  so,  perhaps,  thinks 
the  hareld  ; for  it  would  really  appear  as  if  it  adopted  the  some- 
what curious  manoeuvre  just  mentioned,  to  prevent  its  compan- 
ions from  going  over  the  ground  previously.” 

The  day  after  our  arrival,  we  moved  our  small  craft  within 
half  a mile  of  the  shore  ; and,  as  soon  as  she  was  safely. anchored, 
we  proceeded  to  reconnoitre  the  neighborhood.  The  first  thing 
which  attracted  our  attention,  was  a mirage  of  the  most  strik- 
ing character  and  intensity  of  effect.  Objects,  distant  only  a 
few  hundred  feet,  became  perfectly  metamorphosed.  Thus,  for 
instance,  a small  bird  would  look  as  big  as  a rock,  or  the  trunk 
of  a tree  ; pelicans  assumed  the  appearance  of  a ship  under  can- 
vas ; the  numerous  skeletons  and  bones  of  stranded  whales, 
were  exaggerated  into  clusters  of  lofty  houses ; and  dreary 
and  sterile  plains  presented  the  aspect  of  charming  lakes.  In 
short,  every  object  had  a bewildering  and  supernatural  appear- 
ance, and  the  whole  atmosphere  was  misty,  tremulous,  and 
wavy.  This  phenomenon  is,  at  all  times,  very  remarkable;  but 
during  the  hot  season  of  the  year,  it  is  more  surprising  and  de- 
ceptive. At  an  after  period,  Mr.  Glalton  tried  to  map  the  bay, 
but  this  mirage  frustrated  all  his  endeavors.  An  object  that  he 
had,  perhaps,  chosen  for  a mark,  became  totally  indistinguish- 
able when  he  moved  to  the  next  station. 

On  the  beach  we  found  a small  house,  constructed  of  planks, 
in  tolerable  preservation,  which,  at  high  water,  was  completely 
surrounded  by  the  sea.  This  had  originally  been  erected  by  a Cap- 
tain, Greybourn,  for  trading  purposes,  but  was  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Rhenish  Missionary  Society.  It  was  kindly  thrown 
open  to  our  use,  and  proved  of  the  greatest  comfort  to  us  ; for, 
at  this  season,  the  nights  were  bitterly  cold,  and  the  dew  so 
heavy,  as-completely  to  saturate  every  article  of  clothing  that 
was  exposed. 

We  had  not  been  many  minutes  on  shore,  when  some  half- 
naked,  half-starved,  cut-throat-looking  savages,  made  their 
appearance,  armed  with  muskets  and  assegais.  Nothing  could 
exceed  the  squalid,  wretched,  and  ludicrous  aspect  of  these 
people,  which  was  increased  by  a foolish  endeavor  to  assume  a 
martial  bearing,  no  doubt  with  a view  of  making  an  impression 
on  us.  Without  noticing  either  their  weapons  or  their  swag- 
gering air,  and  in  order  to  disarm  suspicion,  we  walked  straight 
up  to  them,  and  shook  hands  with  apparent  cordiality.  Our 
missionary  friend,  Mr.  Schoneberg,  then  explained  to  them,  by 


14 


SAND  FOUNTAIN. 


signs  and  gestures,  that  he  wished  to  have  a letter  conveyed 
to  Mr.  Bam,  his  colleague,  residing  at  Scheppmansdorf,  some 
twenty  miles  off',  in  an  easterly  direction.  It  soon  became  ap- 
parent that  they  were  accustomed  4o  similar  errands  ; for, 
on  receiving  a small  gratuity  of  tobacco  on  the  spot,  with  a 
promise  of  further  payment  on  their  return,  they  set  out 
immediately,  and  executed  their  task  with  so  much  dis- 
patch, that,  before  the  dawn  of  next  morning,  Mr.  Bam  had 
arrived. 

In  the  mean  time,  we  made  an  excursion  to  a place  called 
Sand  Fountain,  about  three  miles  inland.  On  our  way  there, 
we  crossed  a broad  flat,  which  in  spring  tides  is  entirely  flooded. 
In  spite  of  this  submersion,  the  tracks  of  wagons,  animals, 
etc.,  of  several  years’  standing,  were  as  clear  and  distinct  as  if 
imprinted  but  yesterday!  At  Sand  Fountain,  we  found  another 

wooden  house,  but  uninhabited,  belonging  to  Mr.  D , a 

partner  of  Mr.  M . The  natives  had  taken  advantage  of 

the  absence  of  the  owner,  to  injure  and  destroy  the  few  pieces 
of  furniture  left  behind  ; and  leaves  of  books,  and  panes  of  win- 
dow glass,  were  wantonly  strewn  about  the  ground.  We  next 
visited  the  so-called  “fountain,”  which  was  hard  by  ; but,  in- 
stead of  a copious  spring — as  the  name  of  the  place  gave  us  reason 
to  expect — we  found,  to  our  dismay,  nothing  but  a small  hole, 
some  five  or  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  half  as  many  deep  ; the 
water,  moreover,  was  of  so  execrable  a quality  as  to  make  it 
totally  undrinkable.  However,  on  cleaning  away  the  sand,  it 
flowed  pretty  freely,  and  we  flattered  ourselves  that,  by  a little 
care  and  trouble,  we  might  render  it  fit  for  use,  if  not  exactly 
palatable. 

After  having  thus  far  explored  the  country,  we  returned  to 
the  vessel.  On  the  following  morning  at  daybreak,  we  set 
about  landing  our  effects,  mules,  horses,  etc.,  which  -was  not 
done  without  some  difficulty.  As  soon  as  the  goods  belonging 
to  the  missionary  should  have  been  removed  to  Scheppmansdorf, 
Mr.  Bam  most  considerately  promised  to  assist  us  with  his  oxen. 
In  the  interval — as  there  was  no  fresh  water  on  the  beach — we 
deemed  it  advisable  to  remove  our  luggage,  by  means  of  the 
mules,  to  Sand  Fountain,  where  we  should,  at  least,  be  able  to 
obtain  water — though  bad  of  its  kind — and  be  better  off  in 
other  respects. 

On  the  fourth  day,  the  schooner,  which  had  conveyed  us  to 
Walfisch  Bay,  set  sail  for  the  Cape,  leaving  us  entirely  to  our 
own  resources  on  a desert  coast ; and — excepting  the  several 
missionary  stations  scattered  over  the  country — at  several 


BUSH-TICK. 


15 


months’  tedious  journey  by  land  to  the  nearest  point  of  civiliza- 
tion. 

On  returning  to  Sand  Fountain,  our  first  care  was  to  sink  an 
old,  perforated  tar-barrel,  in  a place  dug  for  the  purpose  ; but 
instead  of.improving  the  quality  of  the  water,  it  only  made  mat- 
ters worse  ! Fortunately,  we  had  taken  the  precaution  to  bring 
with  us  from  the  Cape,  a “ copper  distiller but  the  water, 
even  thus  purified,  could  only  be  used  for  cooking,  or 
making  very  strong  coffee  and  tea.  Strange  enough,  when 
the  owner  of  the  house  resided  here,  water  was  abundant 
and  excellent ; but  the  spot  where  it  was  obtained  was  now 
hidden  from  view  by  an  immense  sand-hill,  which  defied 
digging. 

At  Sand  Fountain  we  had  the  full  benefit  of  the  sea-breeze, 
which  made  the  temperature  very  agreeable — the  thermometer 
never  exceeding  seventy-five  degrees  in  the  shade,  at  noon.  The 
sand,  however,  was  a cruel  annoyance,  entering  into  every  par- 
ticle of  food,  and  penetrating  our  clothes  to  the  very  skin.  But 
we  were  subjected  to  a still  more  formidable  inconvenience  ; for, 
besides  myriads  of  fleas,  our  encampment  swarmed  with  a spe- 
cies of  bush-tick,  whose  bite  was  so  severe  and  irritating,  as  al- 
most to  drive  us  mad.  To  escape,  if  possible,  the  horrible  per- 
secutions of  these  blood-thirsty  creatures,  I took  refuge  one 
night  in  the  cart,  and  was  congratulating  myself  on  having,  at 
last,  secured  a place  free  from  their  attacks.  But  I was  mis- 
taken. I had  not  been  long  asleep,  before  I was  awakened  by 
a disagreeable  irritation  over  my  whole  body,  which  shortly  be- 
came intolerable  ; and,  notwithstanding  the  night  air  was  very 
sharp,  and  the  dew  heavy,  I cast  off  all  my  clothes,  and  rolled 
on  the  icy-cold  sand,  till  the  blood  flowed  freely  from  eveiy 
pore.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  I found  this  expedient  service- 
able. 

On  another  occasion,  a bush-tick,  but  of  a still  more  poison- 
ous species,  attached  itself  to  one  of  my  feet ; and,  though  a- 
stinging  sensation  was  produced,  I never  thought  of  examining 
the  part,  till  one  day,  when  enjoying  the  unusual  luxury  of  a cold 
bath,  I accidently  discovered  the  intruder  deeply  buried  in  the 
the  flesh,  and  it  was  only  with  very  great  pain  that  I succeeded 
in  extracting  it,  or  rather  its  body,  for  the  head  remained  in  the 
wound.  The  poisonous  effect  of  its  bite  was  so  acrimonious  as 
to  cause  partial  lameness  for  three  following  months  ! 

The  bush-tick  does  not  confine  its  attacks  to  men  only,  for 
it  attaches  itself  with  even  greater  pertinacity  to  the  inferior 
animals.  Many  a poor  dog  have  I seen  killed  by  its  relentless 


16 


THE  NARAS. 


persecutions  ; and  even  the  sturdy  ox  has  been  known  to  suc- 
cumb under  the  poisonous  influence  of  these  insects.1 

Sand  Fountain,  notwithstanding  its  disagreeable  guests,  had 
its  advantages.  Almost  every  little  sand-hillock  thereabout 
was  covered  with  a “ creeper,”  which  produced  a kind  of  prickly 
gourd  (called,  by  the  natives,  naras),  of  the  most  delicious  fla- 
vor. It  is  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  turnip  (a  Swede),  and, 
when  ripe,  has  a greenish  exterior,  with  a tinge  of  lemon.  The 
interior,  again,  which  is  of  a deep  orange  color,  presents  a most 
cooling,  refreshing,  and  inviting  appearance.  A stranger,  how- 
ever, must  be  particularly  cautious  not  to  eat  of  it  too  freely; 
as,  otherwise,  it  produces  a peculiar  sickness,  and  great  soreness 
of  the  gum  and  lips.  For  three  or  four  months  in  the  year  it 
constitutes  the  chief  food  of  the  natives. 

The  naras  contains  a great  number  of  seeds,  not  unlike  a peel- 
ed almond  in  appearance  and  taste,  and  being  easily  separated 
from  the  fleshy  parts,  they  are  carefully  collected,  exposed  to 
the  sun,  dried,  and  then  stored  away  in  little  skin  bags.  When 
the  fruit  fails,  the  natives  have  recourse  to  the  seeds,  which  are 
equally  nutritious,  and  perhaps  even  more  wholesome.  The 
naras  may  also  be  preserved  by  being  boiled.  When  of  a cer- 
tain consistency,  it  is  spread  out  into  thin  cakes,  in  which  state 
it  presents  the  appearance  of  brown  moist  sugar,  and  may  be 
kept  for  almost  any  length  of  time.  These  cakes  are,  however, 
rather  rich  and  luscious. 

But  it  is  not  man  alone  that  derives  benefit  from  this  remark- 
able plant;  for  every  animal,  from  the  field-mouse  to  the  ox,  and 
even  the  feline  and  canine  race,  devour  it  with  great  avidity. 
Birds2 3  are,  also,  very  partial  to  it,  more  especially  ostriches, 
who,  during  the  naras  season,  are  found  in  great  abundance  in 
these  parts. 

It  is  in  such  instances,  more  especially,  that  the  mind  becomes 
powerfully  impressed  with  the  wise  provisions  of  nature,  and 
the  great  goodness  of  the  Almighty,  who,  even  from  the  des- 
ert, raises  good  and  wholesome  sustenance  for  man  and  all  his 
creatures. 

1 When  a bush-tick  is  found  attached  to  any  part  cf  the  body  of  a man,  the 
simplest  and  most  effectual  way  of  getting  rid  of  it,  without  any  disagreeable  j 
result,  is  to  anoint  the  place,  to  which  the  insect  has  fixed  itself,  with  pipe  oil.  | 
In  cases  of  brute  animals,  I have  found  tar  to  answer  the  purpose  exceedingly 

well. 

3 I have  seen  the  white  Egyptian  vulture  feed  upon  it!  This  is,  I believe,  with 
one  more  exception,  the  only  instance  where  this  class  of  birds  are  known  to  pap- 
take  of  vegetable  food. 


QUADRUPEDS  SCARCE. 


17 


“ By  his  bounteous  hand, 

God  covers  earth  with  food  for  man  and  beast 
Insect  and  bird  ; yea,  the  poor  creeping  worm 
Partakes  the  Creator’s  bounty.” 

In  this  barren  and  poverty-stricken  country,  food  is  so  scarce, 
that  without  the  naras  the  land  would  be  all  but  uninhabitable. 
The  naras  serves,  moreover,  a double  purpose  ; for,  besides  its 
usefulness  as  food,  it  fixes  with  wonderful  tenacity,  by  means  of 
its  extensive  ramifications,  the  constantly  shifting-sands  ; it  is 
indeed,  to  those  parts  what  the  sand-reed  (ammophila  arundina 
cia)  is  to  the  sandy  shores  and  downs  of  England. 

The  naras  only  grows  in  the  bed  of  the  Kuisip  river,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  sea.  A few  plants  are  to  be  met  with  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Orange  river,  as  also,  according  to  Captain 
Messum,in  a few  localities  between  the  Svvakop  and  the  Nourse 
river. 

The  general  aspect  of  the  country  about  Sand  Fountain  is 
very  dreary  and  desolate.  The  soil  is  entirely  composed  of  sand. 
The  vegetation,  moreover,  is  stunted  in  the  extreme,  consisting 
chiefly  of  the  above-mentioned  creeper,  a species  of  tamarisk  tree 
(or  rather  bush),  and  a few  dew-plants.  Consequently,  the 
animal  world,  as  might  be  expected,  did  not  present  any  great 
variety.  Nevertheless,  being  an  enthusiastic  sportsman,  and 
devoted  to  the  study  of  natural  history,  I made  frequent  short 
excursions  into  the  neighborhood,  on  which  occasions  my  spoils 
consisted  for  the  most  part  of  some  exquisitely  beautiful  liz- 
ards, a few  long-legged  beetles,  and  some  pretty  species  of  field- 
mice.  Once  in  a time,  moreover,  I viewed  a solitary  gazelle  in 
the  distance. 

A few  miles  from  our  encampment,  resided  a small  kraal 
of  Hottentots,  under  the  chief,  Frederick,  who  occasionally 
brought  us  some  milk  and  a few  goats,  as  a supply  for  the 
larder,  in  exchange  for  which  they  received  old  soldiers’  coats 
(worth  sixpence  a-piece),  handkerchiefs,  hats,  tobacco,  and  a 
variety  of  other  trifling  articles.  But  they  infinitely  preferred 
to  beg,  and  were  not  the  least  ashamed  to  ask  for  even  the  shirt 
on  one’s  back. 

These  men  were  excessively  dirty  in  their  habits.  One  fine 
morning,  I observed  an  individual  attentively  examining  his 
caross,  spread  out  before  him  in  a sunny  and  sheltered  spot. 
On  approaching  him,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  his  deep 
meditation,  I found,  to  my  astonishment  and  disgust,  that  he  was 
feasting  on  certain  loathsome  insects,  that  cannot  with  propriety 
2 


18 


THE  ALARUM THE  TURN-OUT. 


be  named  to  ears  polite.  This  was  only  one  instance  out  of  a 
hundred  that  might  be  named  of  their  filthy  customs. 

As  Frederick,  the  chieftain,  and  a few  of  his  half-starved  and 
Chinese-featured  followers,  were  one  day  intently  watching  the 
process  of  our  packing  and  unpacking  divers  trunks,  I placed 
alongside  of  him,  as  if  by  accident,  a small  box-alarum,  and  then 
resumed  my  employment.  On  the  first  shrill  sound  of  the  in- 
strument, our  friend  leapt  from  his  seat  like  one  suddenly  de- 
mented ; and  during  the  whole  time  the  jarring  notes  continued, 
he  remained  standing  at  a respectful  distance,  trembling  vio- 
lently from  head  to  foot. 

As  no  draught  cattle  could  be  obtained  in  the  neighborhood, 
nor,  indeed,  within  a less  distance  than  from  one  hundred  and 
fifty  to  two  hundred  miles,  Mr.  Gfalton  started  on  an  excursion 
into  the  interior,  with  a view  of  obtaining  a supply. 

His  “ turn-out”  was  most  original,  and  would  have  formed  an 
excellent  subject  fora  caricature.  From  both  ends  of  the  cart — ■ 
with  which  he  made  the  journey — protruded  a number  of  com- 
mon muskets,  and  other  articles,  intended  for  barter.  The 
mules  harnessed  to  the  vehicle  kept  up  a most  discordant  con- 
cert, viciously  kicking  out  to  the  right  and  left.  The  coachman, 
bathed  in  perspiration,  kept  applying  his  immense  Cape-whip 
to  their  flanks  with  considerable  unction  ; whilst  a man,  sitting 
alongside  of  him  on  the  front  seat,  abused  the  stubborn  animals 
with  a burst  of  all  the  eloquent  epithets  contained  in  the  Dutch- 
Hottent-ot  vocabulary.  Two  sulky  goats,  tied  to  the  back  of 
the  cart,  were  on  the  point  of  strangling  themselves  in  then 
endeavors  to  escape.  To  complete  the  picture,  Galton  himself, 
accompanied  by  half  a dozen  dogs  of  nondescript  race,  toiled  on 
cheerfully  through  the  deep  sand  by  the  side  of  the  vehicle, 
smoking  a common  clay  pipe. 

On  my  friend’s  arrival  at  Scheppmansdorf,  however,  he 
found  it  necessary  to  adjourn  his  trip  into  the  interior  for  a 
few  days. 

In  the  mean  time,  as  Mr.  Barn’s  oxen  had  arrived  at  Sand 
Fountain,  I busied  myself  with  conveying  the  baggage  to 
Scheppmansdorf;  but,  on  account  of  its  great  weight  and  bulk, 
and  the  badness  of  the  road,  this  occupation  lasted  several  days. 
In  the  last  trip,  we  had  so  overloaded  the  wagons,  that,  after 
about  three  miles,  the  oxen  came  to  a dead  stand-still.  The  two 
teams  were  now  yoked  to  one  of  the  vehicles,  and  it  proceeded 
on  its  way  without  further  interruption,  whilst  I remained  alone 
in  charge  of  the  other.  It  was  agreed  that  some  of  the  men 
should  return  with  the  cattle  on  the  following  night;  but,  on 


DEATH  OF  A LION. 


19 


arriving  atScheppmansdorf,  they  and  the  oxen  were  so  exhausted, 
that  it  was  found  necessary  to  give  both  the  one  and  the  other 
two  days’  rest.  For  this  delay  I was  not  at  all  prepared.  My 
small  supply  of  water  had  been  exhausted  on  the  second  day. 
and  I began,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  to  experience  the 
misery  of  thirst.  I was,  however,  fortunately  relieved  from 
my  embarrassing  situation  by  the  arrival  of  a Hottentot,  who, 
for  a trifling  consideration,  brought  me  an  ample  supply  of 
water. 

At  length,  all  the  baggage  was  safely  deposited  at  Schepp- 
mansdorf,  where  I rejoined  Mr.  Galton. 

He  had  not,  I found,  been  many  days  at  that  place,  when  a 
magnificent  lion  suddenly  appeared  one  night  in  the  midst  of 
the  village.  A small  dog,  that  had  incautiously  approached  the 
beast,  paid  the  penalty  of  its  life  for  its  daring.  The  next  day 
a grand  chase  was  got  up,  but  the  lion,  being  on  his  guard, 
managed  to  elude  his  pursuers.  The  second  day,  however,  he 
was  killed  by  Messrs.  Galton  and  Bam;  and,  on  cutting  him 
up,  the  poor  dog  was  found,  still  undigested,  in  his  stomach, 
bitten  into  five  pieces. 

The  natives  highly  rejoiced  at  the  successful  termination  of 
the  hunt ; for  this  lion  had  proved  himself  to  be  one  of  the 
most  daring  and  destructive  ever  known,  having,  in  a short 
time,  killed  upwards  of  fifty  oxen,  cows,  and  horses.  Though 
he  had  previously  been  chased,  he  had  always  escaped  un- 
scathed, and  every  successive  attack  made  upon  him  only  served 
to  increase  his  ferocity. 

I regretted  much  being  prevented  from  taking  part  in  so 
interesting  and  exciting  an  event;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  I felt 
pleased  that  my  friend  had  thus  early  had  an  opportunity  of 
exercising  his  skill  on  one  of  the  most  noble  and  dreaded  of  the 
animal  creation.  My  turn  was  yet  to  come. 

Scheppmansdorf — Roebank — Abbanhous — as  it  is  indifferently 
called — was  first  occupied  as  a missionary  station,  in  the  year 
184(5,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Scheppman,  from  whom  it  takes  its 
name.  It  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Kuisip  ; and 
immediately  behind  rise  enormous  masses  and  ridges  of  sand. 
The  Kuisip  is  a periodical  stream,  and  is  dependent  on  the 
rains  in  the  interior;  but,  from  the  great  uncertainty  of  this 
supply,  and  the  absorbing  nature  of  the  soil,  it  is  seldom  that  it 
reaches  Walfisch  Bay,  where  it  has  its  estuary.  On  our  arrival, 
the  Kuisip  had  not  flowed  for  years ; but  when  it  does  send 
down  its  mighty  torrent,  it  fertilizes  and  changes  the  aspect  of 
the  country  to  a wonderful  degree.  Rain  falls  seldom  or  never 


to 


MR.  BAM. 


at  this  place,  but  thirsty  nature  is  relieved  by  heavy  dewi 
Fresh  water  and  fuel,  however,  two  of  the  great  necessaries  of 
life,  are  found  in  abundance. 

Sandy  and  barren  as  the  soil  appears  to  the  eye,  portions  of 
it,  nevertheless,  are  capable  of  great  fertility.  From  time  to 
time,  Mr.  Bam  has  cultivated  small  spots  of  garden  ground  in  the 
bed  of  the  river;  but  although  many  things  thrive  exceedingly 
well,  the  trouble,  risk,  and  labor  were  too  great  to  make  it  worth 
his  while  to  persevere.  A sudden  and  unexpected  flood,  the 
effect  of  heavy  rains  in  the  interior,  often  lays  waste  in  a few 
minutes  what  has  taken  months  to  raise. 

The  principal  trees  thereabouts  are  the  ana  and  the  giraffe- 
thorn  (acacia  gi  raff  a) ; and  the  chief  herbage,  a species  of  sand- 
reed,  which  is  much  relished  by  the  cattle  when  once  accustomed 
to  it,  but  more  especially  by  horses,  mules,  and  donkeys,  which 
thrive  and  fatten  wonderfully  on  this  diet. 

During  our  stay  at  Scheppmansdorf,  we  were  the  constant 
guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bam,  but  we  felt  almost  sorry  to  trespass 
on  a hospitality  that  we  knew  they  could  ill  afford  ; for  it  was 
only  once  in  every  two  years  that  they  received  their  supplies 
from  the  Cape,  and  then  only  in  sufficient  quantities  for  their 
own  families.  The  genuine  sincerity,  however,  with  which  it 
was  offered,  overruled  all  scruples. 

Mr.  Bam  had  long  been  a dweller  in  various  parts  of  Great 
Namaqua-land.1  His  present  residence,  however,  in  this  its 
western  portion,  was  of.  comparatively  recent  date.  Although 
he  had  used  every  effort  to  civilize  and  christianize  his  small 
community,  all  his  endeavors  had  hitherto  proved  nearly  abor- 
tive ; but  as  we  become  acquainted  with  the  character  of  the 
Namaquas,  who  are  partially-civilized  Hottentots,  the  wonder 
ceases  ; and  we  discover  that  they  possess  every  vice  of  savages, 
and  none  of  their  noble  qualities.  So  long  as  they  are  fed  and 
clothed,  they  are  willing  enough  to  congregate  round  the  mis- 
sionary, and  to  listen  to  his  exhortation.  The  moment,  however, 
the  food  and  clothing  are  discontinued,  their  feigned  attachment 
to  his  person  and  to  his  doctrines  is  at  an  end,  and  they  do  not 
scruple  to  treat  their  benefactor  with  ingratitude,  and  load  hijm 
with  abuse. 

The  missionary  is  more  or  less  dependent  on  his  own  resources. 
Such  assistance  as  he  obtains  from  the  natives  is  so  trivial,  and 

1 The  southern  limit  of  Great  Namaqua-land  is,  at  the  present  moment,  the 
Orange  river.  To  the  north  it  is  bounded  by  Damara-land,  or  by  about  the 
twenty-second  degree  of  soith  latitude. 


MISSIONARY  RIFE. 


21 


procured  with  so  much  trouble,  that  it  is  often  gladly  dispensed 
with.  The  good  man  is  his  own  architect,  smith,  wheel-wright, 
tinker,  gardener,  etc.,  whilst  his  faithful  spouse  officiates  as  nurse, 
cook,  washerwoman,  and  so  forth.  Occasionally,  to  get  the  drudg- 
ery off  their  hands,  they  adopt  some  poor  boy  and  girl,  who,  after 
they  have  been  taught  with  infinite  labor  to  make  themselves 
useful,  and  have  experienced  nothing  but  kindness,  will  often 
leave  their  protectors  abruptly,  or,  what  is  nearly  as  bad,  become 
lazy  and  indolent. 

A Namaqua,  it  would  appear,  is  not  able  to  appreciate  kind- 
ness, and  no  word  in  his  language,  as  far  as  I can  remember, 
is  expressive  of  gratitude ! The  same  is  the  case,  as  I shall 
hereafter  have  occasion  to  mention,  with  their  northern  neigh- 
bors, the  Damaras,  and  though  a sad,  it  is,  nevertheless,  a true 
picture. 

When  wagons  were  first  introduced  into  Great  Namaqua- 
iand,  they  caused  many  conjectures,  and  much  astonishment 
among  the  natives,  who  conceived  them  to  be  some  gigantic 
animal  possessed  of  vitality.  A conveyance  of  this  kind,  belong- 
ing to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schmelen,  once  broke  down,  and  was  left 
sticking  in  the  sand  One  day  a Bushman  came  to  the  owner, 
and  said  that  he  had  seen  his  “ pack-ox”  standing  in  the  desert 
for  a long  time,  with  a broken  leg;  and,  as  he  did  not  observe 
it  had  any  grass,  he  was  afraid  that  it  would  soon  die  of  hungel 
unless  taken  away ! 


PREPARATION  8 FOR  JOURNEY BREAKING  IN  OXEN DEPARTURE  FROM 

SCHEPPMANSDORF AN  INFURIATED  OX THE  NAARIP  PLAIN — -THE: 

SCARLET  FLOWER THE  USAB  GORGE THE  SWAKOP  P.IVER TRACKS 

OF  RHINOCEROS  SEEN 'ANECDOTE  OF  THAT  ANIMAL A SUNRISE  IN. 

THE  TROPICS SUFFERINGS  FROM  HEAT  AND  THIRST ARRIVAL  AT 

DAVIEP GREAT  RESORT  OF  LIONS A HORSE  AND  MULE  KILLED  BY  | 

THEM THE  AUTHOR  GOES  IN  PURSUIT A TROOP  OF  LIONS UNSUC-  j 

CESSFUL  CHASE MULE’S  FLESH  PALATABLE. 

Mr.  Galton  had  now  so  far  altered  his  plans,  that  instead  of 
proceeding  up  the  country,  with  only  one-half  of  his  party,  fof 
the  purchase  of  cattle,  it  was  arranged  that  we  should  make  the 
journey  together.  The  wagons,  and  the  bulk  of  our  effects, 
were  to  be  left  at  Scheppmansdorf,  and  we  were  only  to  take- 
with  us  some  few  articles  of  exchange,  a small  quantity  of  pro- 
visions, and  a moderate  supply  of  ammunition. 

Finding,  however,  that  the  cart  could  not  conveniently  hold 
all  our  baggage,  though  now  reduced  to  the  smallest  quantity 
possible,  it  was  resolved  to  pack  a portion  on  oxen.  These- 
animals,  on  account  of  their  great  hardihood,  are  invaluable  in 
South  Africa;  the  more  so,  as  they  can  be  equally  well  used 
for  draught,  the  “ pack,”  or  the  “ saddle.”  But  as  we  had  no 
cattle  trained  for  either  of  these  purposes,  and  only  one  or  two 
were  procurable  at  the  missionary  station,  we  were  necessi- 
tated, prior  to  our  departure  thence,  to  break  in  a few.  No 
easy  matter,  by-the-by  ; for  oxen  are  of  a wild  and  stubborn 
disposition  and  it  requires  months  to  make  them  tractable 
We  were,  however,  totally  at  a loss  how  to  set  to  work. 

But,  fortunately,  at  this  time,  Mr.  Galton  had  engaged  a Mr 


BREAKTNG-IN  OXEN. 


23 


Stewardson — tailor  by  profession,  but  now  “ jack  of  all  trades”  - 
to  accompany  us  up  the  country  in  the  capacity  of  cicerone, 
etc. ; and  as  this  man,  from  long  residence  amongst  the  Hot- 
tentots, was  thorougly  conversant  with  the  mysteries  of  ox- 
breaking, to  him,  therefoi’e,  we  deputed  the  difficult  task. 

At  the  end  of  a “ riem,”  or  long  leather  thong,  a pretty 
large  noose  is  made,  which  is  loosely  attached  to,  or  rather 
suspended  from,  the  end  of  a slight  stick  some  five  or  six  feet 
in  length.  With  this  stick  in  his  hand,  a man,  u'nder  shelter 
of  the  herd,  stealthily  approaches  the  ox  selected  to  be  operated 
on.  When  sufficiently  near,  he  places  the  noose  (though  at 
some  little  distance  from  the  ground)  just  in  advance  of  the 
hind  feet  of  the  animal;  and,  when  the  latter  steps  into  it,  he 
draws  it  tight.  The  instant  the  ox  finds  himself  in  the  toils, 
he  makes  a tremendous  rush  forward  ; but  as  several  people 
hold  the  outer  end  of  the  “ riem,”  he — in  sailor  language — is 
quickly  “ brought  up.”  The  force  of  the  check  is,  indeed,  such 
as  often  to  capsize  one  or  more  of  the  men.  He  now  renews 
his  efforts  ; he  kicks,  foams,  bellows  ; and  his  companions,  at  first 
startled,  return  and  join  in  chorus  ; the  men  shout,  the  dogs 
bark  furiously,  and  the  affair  becomes  at  once  dangerous  and 
highly  exciting.  The  captured  animal  not  unfrequently  grows 
frantic  with  rage  and  fear,  and  turns  upon  his  assailant,  when  the 
only  chance  of  escape  is  to  let  go  the  hold  of  the  “ riem.” 
Usually  he  soon  exhausts  himself  by  his  own  exertions,  when 
one  or  two  men  instantly  seize  him  by  the  tail — another  thong 
having  also  been  passed  round  his  horns  ; and,  by  bringing  the 
two  to  bear  in  exactly  opposite  directions,  or,  in  other  words,  by 
using  the  two  as  levers  at  a right-angle  with  his  body,  he  is 
easily  brought  to  the  ground.  This  being  once  effected,  the 
tail  is  passed  between  his  legs  and  held  forcibly  down  over 
his  ribs,  and  the  head  is  twisted  on  one  side,  with  the 
horns  fixed  in  the  ground.  A short,  strong  stick,  of  peculiar 
shape,  is  then  forced  through  the  cartilage  of  the  nose  ; and  to 
either  end  of  this  stick  is  attached  (in  bridle  fashion)  a thin, 
tough,  leathern  thong.  From  the  extreme  tenderness  of  the 
nose,  he  is  now  more  easily  managed  ; but,  if  he  is  still  found 
very  vicious,  he  is  either  packed  in  his  prostrate  position,  or 
fastened  with  his  head  to  a tree,  whilst  two  or  three  persons 
keep  the  “ riem”  tight  about  his  legs,  so  as  to  prevent  him  from 
turning  round,  or  injuring  any  person  with  his  feet.  For 
the  “ packing,”  however,  a more  common  and  convenient  plan 
is,  to  secure  him  between  two  tame  oxen,  with  a person  placed 
outside  each  of  these  animals. 


24 


DEPARTURE  FROM  S C H E P P M A N S D O R F 


For  the  first  day  or  two,  only  a single  skin,  or  empty  bag,  ii 
put  on  his  back,  which  is  firmly  secured  with  a thong,  eighty 
to  ninety  feet  in  length  (those  employed  by  the  Namaquas,  for 
the  same  purpose,  are  about  twice  as  long) ; but  bulk,  as  well 
as  weight,  is  daily  added  ; and  though  he  kicks  and  plunges 
violently — and  sometimes  with  such  effect  as  to  tl\row  off  his 
• pack — the  ox  soon  becomes  more  tractable.  Strange  enough, 
those  who  show  the  most  spirit  in  the  beginning,  are  often 
the  first  subdued.  But  an  ox  that  lies  down,  when  in 
the  act  of  “ packing”  him,  generally  proves  the  most  trouble- 
some. Indeed,  not  one  in  ten  that  does  so  is  fit  for  any- 
thing. 

I have  seen  oxen  that  no  punishment,  however  severe,  would 
induce  to  rise  ; not  even  the  application  of  fire.  This  would 
seem  a cruel  expedient ; but  when  it  is  remembered  that  his 
thus  remaining  immovable  is  entirely  attributable  to  obstinaqy, 
and  that  a person’s  life  may  depend  on  getting  forward,  the 
application  of  this  torture  admits  of  some  excuse. 

But  even  when,  at  last,  he  has  been  trained  to  carry  the  pack 
or  the  saddle,  there  is  another  difficulty,  scarcely  less  formida- 
ble, to  overcome.  From  the  gregarious  habits  of  the  ox,  he  is 
unwilling  either  to  proceed  in  advance  of  the  rest,  or  to  remain 
at  any  distance  behind  his  comrades  ; and,  if  there  is  no  one  to 
lead,  the  whole  troop  will  instantly  come  to  a stand-still. 
Only  a few  can  be  trained  as  leaders.  Such  animals  are  always 
selected  as  have  a quick  step,  and,  of  themselves,  are  in  the 
habit  of  keeping  ahead,  and  apart  from  the  rest  of  the  herd. 
Oxen  of  this  description,  at  all  times,  hold  the  first  rank  in  a 
traveling  caravan. 

At  length,  after  great  exertions,  and  endless  delays,  we  were 
able  to  fix  upon  the  day  for  our  departure.  Our  arrangements 
were  as  follows: — On  the  cart,  which  was  drawn  by  eight 
mules,  we  placed  about  one  thousand  pounds,  consisting  chiefly 
of  guns,  presents  for  chieftains  and  others,  articles  for  barter, 
implements  of  natural  history,  bedding,  etc.  Six  hundred 
weight  (ammunition  and  provisions)  were  besides  distributed 
amongst  four  “ pack”-oxen  and  one  mule. 

The  object  of  the  expedition  being  entirely  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  cattle  for  draught  and  slaughter,  we  were  given  to 
understand  that,  after  about  eight  to  ten  days’  journey,  we 
should  arrive  at  some  native  villages,  where  we  might  procure 
any  number  of  beasts  required.  Our  course,  as  far  as  we  could 
understand,  was  to  the  northeast,  and  through  an  exceedingly 
wild  and  sterile  part  of  the  country. 


AN  GX  CHARGES  MR.  GALTON. 


25 


On  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  September  we  left  Schepp- 
mansdorf.  The  young  cattle  proved  exceedingly  unmanage- 
able ; and  we  had  not  been  on  the  road  many  minutes,  before  a 
small  handsome  ox,  which  from  the  very  beginning  had  given 
us  much  trouble  in  breaking  in,  left  the  herd  and  was  appa- 
rently about  retracing  his  steps  to  the  missionary  station.  To 
prevent  this,  Galton  and  I endeavored  to  head  him,  on  which,  he 
set  off  at  a rapid  pace.  On  finding  himself  hard  pressed,  how- 
ever he  suddenly  wheeled  round  and  rushed  toward  my  friend 
at  headlong  speed.  Thinking  it  merely  a demonstration,  Mr. 
Galton  remained  stationary;  but  by  so  doing  he  nearly  lost  his 
life,  for  the  infuriated  beast  charged  home.  Fortunately,  how- 
ever, his  horn  merely  grazed  my  friend’s  leg,  though  it  inflicted 
some  injury  on  the  shoulder  of  the  horse. 

After  this  little  adventure,  we  continued  our  route  at  a 
pretty  quick  pace,  over  a hard,  crisp,  gravelly  country,  totally 
devoid  of  water,  with  scarcely  a vestige  of  vegetation. 

It  was  not  until  about  ten  o’clock  at  night,  and  after  having 
traveled  nearly  twelve  hours,  that  we  reached  a small  granite 
rock,  at  the  foot  of  which  we  succeeded  in  obtaining  a few 
pints  of  very  brackish  water.  Both  Mr.  Galton  and  myself 
were  very  tired.  In  order  to  save  the  horses,  and  to  give  the 
men  an  occasional  mount,  we  had  walked  a considerable  part 
of  the  way  ; and  after  partaking  of  some  coffee,  etc.,  we  quick- 
ly resigned  our  weary  limbs  to  sleep. 

At  break  of  day  we  were  again  stirring  ; and  whilst  the  men 
were  harnessing  the  mules,  etc.,  I ascended  the  rock,  where  I 
discovered  a most  beautiful  air-plant  in  full  blossom,  of  a bright 
scarlet  color,  with  the  lower  part  of  the  interior  of  the  corolla 
tinged  with  lemon. 

The  sight  of  such  a lovely  flower,  in  this  dreary  and  desolate 
region,  excited  within  me  some  emotion,  and  I now  fully  appre- 
ciated the  touching  expression  of  Mungo  Park,  when,  having, 
in  a state  of  complete  exhaustion,  thrown  himself  down  to  die, 
he  discovered  at  his  side  a beautiful  little  moss,  and  exclaimed, 

“ Can  that  Being  who  planted,  watered,  and  brought  to  perfec- 
tion in  this  obscure  part  of  the  world,  a thing  which  appears  of 
so  small  importance,  look  with  unconcern  upon  the  situation  * 
and  sufferings  of  a creature  formed  after  his  own  image  ? 
Surely  not !” 

Even  the  mighty  Nimrod,  Gordon  Cumming,  whose  whole 
soul  one  would  imagine  to  be  engrossed  by  lions  and  elephants, 
seems  to  have  been  struck  with  equal  delight  as  myself,  at  the 
sight  of  this  charming  flower  : “ In  the  heat  of  the  chase,”  . 


TRACKS  OF  RHINOCEROS  SEEN. 


'j<3 

says  he,  “ I paused  spell-bound,  to  contemplate  with  admiration 
i 1 8 fascinating  beauty.” 

We  continued  our  journey  over  the  same  sterile  plain  (Naa 
~ip)  till  about  ten  o’clock,  a.  m.,  when  we  suddenly  entered  a 
narrow  and  desolate-looking  mountain  gorge,  called  Usab,  slop- 
ing rapidly  towards  the  bed  of  a periodical  river.  Here,  under 
the  shade  of  a stunted  acacia,  Stewardson  recommended  us  to 
“ outspan  and,  leaving  our  cook  in  charge  of  the  cart,  we 
proceeded  with  the  animals  at  once  in  search  of  water. 

For  more  than  two  miles  we  continued  to  follow  the  gorge, 
which,  as  we  approached  the  river,  assumed  a more  gloomy, 
though  perhaps  more  striking,  appearance,  being  overhung 
with  towering  and  fantastically-shaped  granite  rocks.  Not- 
withstanding this,  the  river — to  which  the  natives  give  the  name 
of  Schwackaup,  or  Swakop,  as  Europeans  call  it — presented  a 
most  cheerful  and  pleasant  aspect ; for,  though  not  flowing  at 
the  time,  its  moist  bed  was  luxuriantly  overgrown  with  grass, 
creepers,  and  pretty  ice-plants.  The  banks  on  either  side  were 
also  more  or  less  lined  with  gigantic  reeds,  of  a most  refreshing 
color ; and  above  the  reeds  rose  several  beautiful  trees,  such  as 
the  acacia,  the  black-ebony,  etc. 

Under  a projecting  rock,  a few  paces  from  the  spot  where  we 
struck  upon  the  river,  we  discovered  a pool  of  excellent  water, 
where  man  and  beast,  in  long  and  copious  draughts,  soon 
quenched  a burning  thirst.  This  being  done,  we  indulged  in  a 
delicious  bath,  which  highly  refreshed  our  fatigued  and  dusty 
limbs. 

On  a lofty  and  inaccessible  rock  overhanging  the  river-bed, 
I again  saw  some  of  those  beautiful  flowers  which  in  the  early 
morning  had  caused  me  so  much  delight ; and,  with  a well- 
directed  ball,  I brought  down  one  almost  to  my  feet. 

In  the  sand  we  discovered  the  broad  foot-prints  of  a rhino- 
ceros. From  their  freshness  it  was  apparent  that  the  monster 
had  visited  the  river-bed  during  the  preceding  night,  but  all  our 
endeavors  to  rouse  him  proved  ineffectual. 

Whilst  still  talking  about  the  prospect  of  soon  seeing  this 
singular  animal  in  his  native  haunts,  I remembered  a story  Mr. 
Bam  had  told  us,  of  a wonderful  escape  he  once  had  from  one 
of  these  beasts,  and  which  I will  endeavor  to  give  in  his  own 
words. 

“ As  we  entered  the  Swakop  river  one  day,”  said  he,  “ we 
observed  the  tracks  of  a rhinoceros ; and,  soon  after  unyoking 
our  oxen,  the  men  requested  to  be  allowed  to  go  in  search  of  the 
Feast.  This  I readily  granted,  only  reserving  a native  to  assist 


ANECDOTE  OF  THE  RHINOCEROS. 


27 


me  in  kindling  the  fire  and  preparing  our  meal.  While  we 
were  thus  engaged,  we  heard  shouting  and  firing ; and,  on 
looking  in  the  direction  whence  the  noise  proceeded,  discovered, 
to  our  horror,  a rhinoceros,  rushing  furiously  at  us  at  the 
top  of  his  speed.  .Our  only  chance  of  escape  was  the  wagon, 
into  which  we  hurriedly  flung  ourselves.  And  it  was  high  time 
that  we  should  seek  refuge  ; for  the  next  instant  the  enraged 
brute  struck  his  powerful  horn  into  the  “buik-plank”  (the 
bottom  boards),  with  such  force  as  to  push  the  wagon  several 
paces  forward,  although  it  was  standing  in  very  heavy  sand. 
Most  providentially,  he  attacked  the  vehicle  from  behind  ; for,  if 
he  had  struck  it  on  the  side,  he  could  hardly  have  failed  to 
upset  it,  ponderous  as  it  was.  From  the  wagon  he  made  a 
dash  at  the  fire,  overturning  the  pot  we  had  placed  alongside  it, 
and  scattering  the  burning  brands  in  every  direction.  Then, 
without  doing  any  further  damage,  he  proceeded  on  his  wild 
career..  Unfortunately,  the  men  had  taken  with  them  all  the 
guns  ; otherwise,  I might  easily  have  shot  him  dead  on  the  spot. 
The  Damara,  however,  threw  his  assegai  at  him,  but  the  soft 
iron  bent  like  a reed  against  his  thick  and  almost  impenetrable 
hide.” 

The  greater  part  of  the  afternoon  was  spent  under  the  shade 
of  some  wide-spreading  acacias,  and  hunting  for  specimens  of 
natural  history.  A species  of  Francolin  ( francolinus  adspersus), 
and  one  or  two  pretty  kinds  of  fly-catchers,  were  amongst  the 
day’s  spoil. 

A little  before  sunset  we  returned  to  the  camp  ; and,  as  we 
were  to  continue  our  journey  on  the  morrow’s  dawn,  we  pick- 
eted the  mules  and  horses,  and  made  our  encampment  as  snug 
as  possible.  Though  the  ground  was  our  couch,  and  the  sky  our 
canopy,  we  slept  soundly,  and  awoke  early  the  next  morning, 
greatly  refreshed.  We  much  needed  this  renewal  of  our  vigor, 
for  the  day  proved  exceedingly  trying,  both  to  men  and  cattle. 

Once  more  we  were  on  the  Naarip  plain,  though  this  time 
we  traveled  parallel  with  the  Swakop  (which  here  pursued  an 
easterly  course),  on  the  edge  of  those  gloomy  rocks,  through 
which  its  deep  and  turbulent  channel  has  forced  its  way. 

Just  as  we  entered  this  wild  and  dreary  waste,  the  sun  rose 
in  all  its  refulgence,  converting,  as  if  by  magic,  the  whole  of 
the  eastern  sky  into  one  mass  of  the  most  dazzling  light — tint- 
ing the  distant  mountains  with  a soft  vermilion,  and  causing 
the  dew-bespangled  pebbles  beneath  our  feet  to  sparkle  like 
so  many  diamonds.  He  who  has  not  witnessed  a sunrise  or 
a sunset  in  the  tropics  (rendered  the  more  remarkable  by  the 


28 


ARRIVAL  AT  DAVIEP. 


nearly  total  absence  of  twilight),  cannot  form  the  least  idea  of 
its  magnificence  and  splendor. 

But,  alas ! these  sights,  so  lovely  to  the  eye,  are  often  fol- 
lowed by  such  intense  heats  as  to  be  nearly  insupportable  to 
the  way-worn  traveler.  We  were  now  in  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember, and  the  rays  of  the  sun,  at  noon,  falling  almost  ver- 
tically on  our  heads,  caused  a fearfully  high  state  of  tempera- 
ture. The  hot  sand,  moreover,  cruelly  burnt  our  feet,  and  not 
a breath  of  wind  stirred  the  glaring  and  seething  atmosphere. 

To  complete  our  misery,  we  suffered  from  the  most  violent  thirst, 
which  our  scanty  supply  of  water,  half-boiling  as  it  was,  could 
in  no  way  tend  to  mitigate. 

Our  poor  animals  seemed  to  suffer  as  much  as  ourselves. 
Their  gait,  protruding  tongues,  and  drooping  heads  indicated 
great  distress.  Still  they  toiled  on,  but  slowly  and  painfully, 
through  the  sand,  which  had  now  become  soft  and  yielding. 
Long  before  we  had  accomplished  the  day’s  stage,  one  of  the 
mules  dropped  down  from  exhaustion,  and  we  were  obliged  to 
leave  the  poor  animal  to  its  fate,  trusting,  however,  that  when 
the  atmosphere  should  become  a little  cooler,  it  would  follow 
on  our  track.  We  dared  not  stop,  nor  would  delay  ha,ve  been  of 
any  avail ; for,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  neither  bush  nor 
blade  of  grass  was  to  be  seen. 

In  the  early  morning,  I rode  one  of  the  horses,  but,  after  a 
time,  observing  that  some  of  the  men  looked  jaded  and  faint,  I , 
dismounted,  and  gave  it  up  to  them,  proceeding  myself  on  foot 
during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  Mr.  Gralton  had  ridden  jn 
advance  on  the  other  horse,  and,  when  we  met,  I was  almost 
speechless  from  thirst,  with  my  mouth  and  lips  dreadfully 
parched.  Often  subsequently  have  I suffered  cruelly  from 
want  of  water,  and  for  a much  longer  period  than  on  the  pre- 
sent occasion  ; but  never  do  I remember  to  have  been  so  much 
distressed  as  now;  for  though,  from  childhood,  accustomed  and 
inured  to  privations  of  all  kinds,  I had  not  previously  experi- 
enced the  effect  of  thirst  under  a tropical  sun. 

Again  we  left  our  cart  some  little  way  from  the  river,  and 
drove  our  thirsty  and  weary  animals  loose  to  the  water,  which 
was,  fortunately,  not  far  distant ; but,  though  men  and  beasts 
drank  to  repletion,  the  water  seemed  to  have  lost  its  property, 
for  our  best  endeavors  to  slake  our  thirst  proved  unavailing. 

-The  name  of  the  place  was  Daviep,  and  it  was  reported  to 
be  a favorite  resort  of  lions,  who  regularly  reared  their  young 
in  a neighboring  mountain,  called  Tineas,  whence  they  made 
predatory  excursions.  We  accordingly  lost  no  time  in  recon- 


A HORSE  AND  MULE  KILLED  BV  LIONS.  25 

noitering  the  ground  ; but  not  finding  any  indications  of  the 
presence  of  lions,  or  even  that  they  had  haunted  the  place 
lately,  we  had  little  apprehension  of  their  paying  us  a visit ; 
and  as  the  mules  and  horses  sadly  wanted  rest  and  food,  we 
deemed  it  advisable  to  leave  them  to  themselves  during  the 
night,  merely  taking  the  precaution  to  “ knee-halter”  them.  We 
paid  dearly,  however,  for  our  too  easy  confidence. 

As,  on  our  return  to  the  cart  in  the  evening,  the  mule  that 
had  been  left  behind  in  the  course  of  the  day  had  not  yet 
made  her  appearance,  I and  Stewardson,  each  mounting  an  ox, 
returned  to  the  spot  where  she  had  last  been  seen.  The  animal, 
however,  had  disappeared ; and,  finding  that  her  tracks  led 
towards  the  river,  where  it  would  have  been  next  to  madness 
to  follow  her  in  the  dark,  we  retraced  our  steps  at  once,  trust- 
ing that  instinct,  which  had  made  her  go  in  search  of  water, 
would  also  be  a guide  in  seeking  her  companions. 

Early  on  the  following  morning,  one  of  the  wagon-drivers  was 
dispatched  to  the  river  to  look  after  our  animals,  whilst  Mr.  Gal- 
ton  and  myself  followed  at  our  ease ; but  what  was  our  horror, 
on  entering  the  bed  of  the  stream,  to  find  that  several  lions  had 
recently  passed  and  repassed  it  in  every  direction.  This,  to- 
gether with  the  absence  of  the  mules  and  horses,  at  once  fore- 
boded evil.  We  were  not  long  left  to  conjectures;  for  almost 
immediately  our  servant  joined  us,  and  said  that  a mule  and  a 
horse  had  been  killed  by  the  lions,  and  partly  devoured.  He 
added,  that  on  his  approaching  the  scene  of  the  catastrophe,  he 
saw  five  of  those  beasts  feasting  on  the  carcasses ; but  on  per- 
ceiving him  they  retreated  with  terrible  growlings ! Instead 
of  his  presence  having  scared  the  lions  from  their  prey,  how- 
ever, as  he  asserted,  we  had  reason  to  believe  that  so  soon  as  he 
was  aware  of  them,  he  immediately  hid  himself  an  ongst  the 
rocks,  and  that  it  was  not  until  emboldened  by  seeing  us  he 
had  left  his  hiding-place.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  he  would 
have  had  ample  time  to  give  us  notice  of  what  had  occurred, 
prior  to  our  leaving  the  encampment. 

Singularly  enough,  the  dead  mule  was  the  identical  one  we 
had  been  in  search  of  on  the  preceding  night,  and  it  would 
appear  that  it  had  just  rejoined  its  companions,  or  was  on  the 
point  of  doing  so,  when  it  was  attacked  and  killed.  Being  a 
remarkably  fine  and  handsome  animal,  its  loss  was  much  regret- 
ted: the  horse,  moreover,  was  the  best  of  the  two  we  had  brought 
from  the  Cape. 

On  examining  the  ground,  we  were  glad  to  fiud  that  the  other 
horse  and  remaining  mule  had  ’na.de  good  their  escape,  down  the 


80 


THE  AUTHOR  GOES  IN  PURSUIT. 


bed  of  the  river,  though  evidently  pursued  by  the  lions  for  some 
distance.  How  many  of  these  beasts  there  really  had  been,  we 
were  unable  to  ascertain  ; but  they  could  not  have  been  less 
than  seven  or  eight. 

Having  thus  far  ascertained  the  fate  of  the  poor  animals,  we 
dispatched  our  brave  wagon-driver  for  Stewardson,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  men  ; as  also  for  proper  guns  and  ammunition, 
as  we  had  determined,  if  possible,  to  have  our  revenge. 

On  leaving  Scheppmansdorf  we  had,  unfortunately,  only 
brought  with  us  three  or  four  small  goats  as  provision  for  the 
journey.  This  scanty  supply  was  now  nearly  exhausted,  and 
it  being  uncertain  when  we  should  meet  with  any  native  village 
where  we  could  barter  for  more,  we  deemed  it  advisable,  in  order 
to  provide  against  contingencies,  to  lay  in  a store  of  mule-flesh 
and  horse-flesh ; and  though  our  people  seemed  horror-stricken 
at  the  idea,  there  vms  not  a second  alternative.  Whilst  waiting 
the  return  of  the  men,  we,  accordingly,  set  about  cutting  off 
from  the  slain  animals  such  pieces  as  had  not  been  defiled  by 
the  lions.  This  being  accomplished,  we  covered  the  meat  with 
a heap  of  stones,  and  the  men  having  arrived,  we  proceeded  in 
search  of  the  depredators. 

But,  though  we  beat  both  sides  of  the  river  for  a considerable 
distance,  we  were  unable  to  discover  the  beasts.  At  one  time, 
and  when  I was  quite  alone  on  the  inner  side  of  the  thick  reed- 
bed  that  lined  the  bank,  I observed  some  beautiful  “ klip- 
springers,”  or  mountain  gazelles,  and  fired  both  barrels,  though, 
unfortunately,  without  effect.  The  report  of  my  gun  caused  a 
momentary  consternation  to  Mr.  Galton  and  the  men,  who  ima- 
gined that  I had  fallen  in  with  the  lions,  while,  from  the  nature 
of  the  ground,  they  would  have  been  unable  to  render  me  any 
assistance. 

Being  at  last  obliged  to  give  up  the  search,  two  or  three  of 
the  men  on  whom  we  could  best  depend,  were  sent  on  the  tracks 
of  the  scared  mules  and  the  remaining  horse.  After  many  hours’ 
hard  walking  they  were  discovered  ; but  the  poor  beasts  had 
received  such  a fright,  that  it  was  only  with  great  trouble  and 
exertion  that  ^hey  were  secured. 

Thinking  that  the  lions  would  m all  probability  return  during 
the  night,  to  make  an  end  of  what  was  left  of  the  horse  and  mule, 
Galton  and  I determined  to  watch  for  them,  and  selected  for  our 
ambush  the  summit  of  a steep  rock  immediately  near  one  of  the 
carcasses. 

Shortly  after  sunset,  we  proufcedtfi  to  put  our  plan  into  exe- 
cution ; and,  having  arrived  witinn  a vdort  distance  of  the  slain 


TROOP  OF  LIONS UNSUCCESSFUL  CHASE.  3 


animals,  one  of  the  people  suddenly  exclaimed — “ Oh  ! look  at 
the  six  bucks!”  Imagine  our  astonishment  when,  turning  our 
eyes  in  the  direction  to  which  he  pointed,  we  saw,  instead  of 
antelopes,  six  magnificent  lions  ; and  this,  moreover,  on  the 
very  rock  on  which  we  had  purposed  ambushing  ourselves,  and 
where — as  we  foolishly  imagined — we  should  have  been  in  per- 
fect security ! 

On  perceiving  that  they  were  discovered,  the  beasts  retreated 
behind  the  rock ; but  one  or  another  of  them  would,  neverthe- 
less, steal  from  its  hiding-place  occasionally,  and  take  a peep 
at  us 

Contrary  to  the  counsel  of  Mr.  Galton,  and  others  of  our 
party,  I now  ascended  the  acclivity  where  we  had  last  seen  the 
beasts ; but,  although  they  were  nowhere  visible,  I had  every 
reason  to  believe  the  whole  troop  was  not  far  distant  from  the 
spot  where  I stood. 

To  have  ambushed  ourselves  in  the  rock  originally  selected, 
was  (from  the  evidence  we  had  just  had  of  its  insecurity)  not 
now  to  be  thought  of ; and  we  therefore  looked  out  for  a safer 
place.  The  only  one  that  offered,  however,  was  a large  acacia ; 
but  it  was  more  than  two  hundred  yards  from  either  of  the 
carcasses,  and  its  stem  was  so  thick  and  straight,  that  it  was 
impossible  to  ascend  it.  Moreover,  total  darkness  had  now 
succeeded  the  short  twilight ; and,  however  reluctantly,  we  left 
the  lions  in  full  possession  of  the  field  and  the  remnant  of  their 
prey. 

On  returning  to  our  encampment,  we  found  a wagon  had 
arrived,  belonging  to  Mr.  Hahn,  a missionary  of  the  Rhenish 
society,  settled  amongst  the  Damaras.  The  vehicle  was  on  its 
road  to  Scheppmansdorf,  in  order  to  fetch  some  goods  that  had 
recently  arrived  from  the  Cape.  The  driver  civilly  supplied  us 
with  a few  sheep,  which,  to  the  great  joy  of  our  people,  enabled 
us  to  dispense  with  the  store  of  horse-flesh  and  mule-flesh  we 
had  just  laid  in.  We  did  not,  however,  throw  the  meat  away 
altogether,  for  both  Mr.  Galton  and  myself  subsequently  dined 
upon  it  on  more  than  one  occasion,  and  really  found  it  very 
palatable,  more  especially  that  of  the  horse. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  GNOO  AND  THE  GEMS BOK— PURSUIT  OF  A RHINOCEROS VENOMOUS 

FLY FRUIT  OF  THE  ACACIA  NUTRITIOUS SUN-STROKE CRESTED 

PARROT A GIRAFFE  SHOT TJOBIS  FOUNTAIN SINGULAR  OMELET 

NUTRITIOUS  GUM ARRIVAL  OF  RICHTERFELDT MR.  RATH  AND  THE 

MISSIONS — THE  DAMARAS  : THEIR  PERSONS,  HABITS,  ETC. LIONS 

TROUBLESOME PANIC HORSE  SICKNESS. 

The  second  morning  after  the  adventure  with  the  lions,  we 
continued  our  journey,  alternately  on  the  banks  and  in  the  bed 
of  the  Swakop.  The  road  was  exceedingly  heavy,  being,  for 
the  most  part,  composed  of  loose  gravel  and  fine  sand. 
Stewardson,  who  had  the  management  of  our  traveling  ar- 
rangements, instead  of  starting  us  at  daybreak  or  previously, 
as  he  ought  to  have  done,  did  not  put  the  cavalcade  in  motion 
until  an  hour  after  sunrise.  The  consequence  was,  that,  before 
we  were  half  through  the  allotted  stage,  the  sun  had  reached 
its  zenith,  and  scorched  and  harassed  us  dreadfully. 

As  yet,  with  the  exception  of  a few  zebras,  etc.,  we  had  seen 
no  wild  animals,  though  the  “ spoor”  or  track  of  the  gnoo  and 
gemsbok  were  frequent  enough.  This  day,  however,  at  a turn 
of  the  road,  we  came  suddenly  upon  a few  of  the  latter,  but  the 
sight  so  fascinated  us,  that  instead  of  firing,  as  we  might  have 
done,  for  they  were  within  range,  we  gazed  at  them  in  as- 
tonishment. 

We  passed  the  night  at  a fountain  called  Annis,  situated  on 
the  side  of  the  river.  On  the  following  morning,  and  at  only 
a few  hundred  paces  from  our  bivouac,  we  discovered  the  tracks 
of  several  rhinoceroses.  Finding  that  one  of  these  animals 
had  been  drinking  in  a pool  hard  by,  during  the  latter  part  of 


THE  ACACIA  TREE. 


33 

the  night,  Galton,  Stewardson,  and  myself,  went  in  search  of 
the  beast,  the  cart  following  in  the  bed  of  the  river.  But, 
though  we  pursued  the  tracks  of  the  animal,  at  a pretty  rapid 
pace,  for  nearly  three  hours,  we  were  unable  to  come  up  with 
him,  and  therefore  discontinued  the  chase  in  despair,  and  re- 
joined our  caravan. 

During  the  following  day,  I observed  several  curious  look- 
ing crested  parrots  of  a grayish  color,  which  screamed  discord- 
antly on  our  approach  ; but  as  they  always  perched  on  the  top 
of  the  very  highest  trees,  and  kept  an  excellent  look  out,  I 
could  not  possibly  get  within  gunshot. 

I met,  besides,  with  a vast  number  of  delicate  and  pretty 
butterflies  ; as  also  a wasp-looking  fly,  of  the  most  brilliant 
dark  blue.  Having  struck  one  of  these  to  the  ground,  I was 
about  to  secure  it,  when  it  stung  me  severely  in  the  hand,  and, 
in  a very  few  seconds,  the  wounded  part  began  to  fester,  and 
swelled  to  an  enormous  size,  causing  the  most  acute  pain. 

Whilst  following  the  bed  of  the  river,  our  mules  and  cattle 
fared  sumptuously ; for,  although  we  found  but  little  grass, 
there  was  always  an  abundance  of  fine  young  reeds  ; but,  until 
animals  are  accustomed  to  this  diet,  it  only  serves  to  weaken 
them.  Cattle,  however,  that  are  used  to  this  coarse  food,  soon 
become  fat ; and,  when  killed,  prove,  contrary  to  what  might 
be  expected,  capital  eating.  When  the  reeds  become  somewhat 
old  and  dry.  they  are  fired  by  the  natives,  and,  in  a fortnight 
or  three  weeks,  they  have  again  attained  a luxuriant  growth. 

The  pods  of  a species  of  acacia  (a?m),  which  had  dropped 
from  the  trees,  were,  also,  much  relished  by  the  cattle.  Stew- 
ardson informed  us  that  when  the  latter  are  able  to  feed  on 
them  regularly,  they  soon  become  fat.  The  fruit  has  an  acrid 
taste,  but  is  not  altogether  unpalatable. 

The  wood  of  this  tree,  though  straight-grained,  close,  and 
weighty,  is  not  considered  good  for  implements  of  husbandry. 
I have  been  assured,  however,  that  when  the  tree  is  burned 
down,  the  quality  of  the  wood  is  much  improved  ! 

Stewardson’s  habit  of  starting  late  had  nearly  proved  fatal 
to  me  ; for  one  day,  whilst  pursuing  on  foot  some  interesting 
birds,  I had  fallen  considerably  behind  my  companions,  and,  in 
order  to  come  up  with  them,  I was  necessitated  to  put  my  best 
foot  forward.  The  sun’s  rays  (in  themselves  exceedingly  power- 
ful) being  reflected  from  the  surrounding  barren  hills,  and  the 
burning  sand,  made  the  heat  equal  to  that  of  an  oven. 

I had  only  just  caught  sight  of  our  party,  when  I was 
seized  with  sudden  giddiness,  and  the  horrible  idea  flashed 
3 


34 


SUN-STROKE CRESTED  PARROT. 


across  my  mind  that  I had  received  a ‘ sun-stroke.”  Being 
fully  aware  of  the  danger,  I collected  all  my  energies,  and  made 
the  most  strenuous  efforts  to  overtake  my  friend.  But  the 
6tupor  increased  every  moment,  and  my  voice  became  so  faint, 
that  for  a long  time  I was  unable  to  make  myself  heard.  How- 
ever, I did  at  last  succeed,  and  Gfalton  at  once  rode  up  to  me 
and  placed  his  horse  at  my  disposal.  It  was  high  time,  for 
another  minute  would  probably  have  proved  too  late.  As  it 
was,  I managed  with  great  difficulty  to  reach  a small  clump  of 
trees  hard  by,  and  tumbling  off  the  animal  remained  for  some 
time  in  a state  of  almost  total  unconsciousness.  When  at  last 
I recovered  from  this  stupor,  the  heat  was  less,  and  a gentle 
breeze  having  sprung  up,  I was  able  slowly  to  proceed.  My 
head,  however,  ached  intolerably. 

The  usual  result  of  a coup-de-soleil  is  known  to  be  almost  in- 
stantaneous death,  or  an  affection  of  the  brain  for  life.  In  my 
case  I expected  nothing  short  of  the  latter  infliction.  Happily, 
however,  after  about  several  months,  daily  suffering,  I was 
thoroughly  restored  ; and  in  time  I could  brave  heat  and  fatigue 
as  well  as  any  native. 

Having  followed  the  course  of  the  Swakop  for  some  days,  we 
struck  into  one  of  its  tributaries  called  Tjobis.  At  the  mouth 
of  this  stream  we  met,  for  the  first  time,  with  a vast  number  of 
guinea-fowls,  which  we  afterwards  found  very  common  through- 
out the  country.  We  also  made  acquaintance  with  one  or  two 
species  of  toucans  ; and  I succeeded  at  last  in  obtaining 
several  specimens  of  the  parrot-looking,  birds  of  which  mention 
has  lately  been  made.  They  were  the  chizoerhis  concolor  of 
Doctor  Smith. 

After  many  hours  of  fatiguing  travel,  we  met  Galton,  who 
had  ridden  on  in  advance.  His  face  beamed  with  delight, 
whilst  announcing  to  us  that  he  had  just  killed  a fine  giraffe. 
The  news  was  most  welcome  to  every  one  ; for,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  prospect  of  a feast,  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  the 
heavy  nature  of  the  ground,  made  us  all  feel  exceedingly 
weary  ; and  we  were,  therefore,  extremely  glad  of  a pretext  to 
take  some  repose. 

The  mules  were  forthwith  unharnessed,  and  all  hands  were 
put  in  requisition  to  cut  up  our  prize  and  to  “jerk”  the  meat ; 
but  this  proved  lean  and  tough. 

The  bones,  however,  of  the  giraffe  contain  a great  deal  of  mar- 
row, which,  when  properly  prepared,  is  eaten  with  gusto  by 
every  one  ; and,  even  when  in  a raw  state,  is  sometimes 
greedily  devoured  bv  the  natives. 


TJOBIS  FOUNTAIN SINGULAR  OMELET. 


35 


As  there  was  no  water  where  we  had  “ outspanned,”  we  were 
obliged,  towards  evening,  to  continue  our  journey ; and  when 
we  arrived  at  “ Tjobis  Fountain,”  situated  in  the  bed  of  the 
Tjobis  river,  it  was  already  dark. 

Here  we  were  at  once  visited  by  several  Hill-Damaras,  of 
whom  more  hereafter.  On  finding  that  a giraffe  had  been  killed 
and  that  they  were  at  liberty  to  take  what  flesh  we  had  left, 
their  joy  knew  no  bounds,  and  some  of  them  actually  returned 
that  same  night  to  the  carcass.  These  men  kindly  brought  us 
some  sweet  gum,  a kind  of  coarse  stir-about  made  from  the  seeds 
of  a species  of  grass,  and  a few  ostrich  eggs. 

Our  cook  soon  made  us  an  excellent  omelet  from  one  of  the 
last,  and  that  by  a very  simple  process.  A hole  is  made  at  one 
end  of  the  egg,  through  which  is  introduced  some  salt,  pepper, 
etc.  The  egg  is  then  well  shaken,  so  as  thoroughly  to  mix  the 
white,  the  yolk,  and  the  several  ingredients  mentioned.  It  is 
then  placed  in  the  hot  ashes,  where  it  is  baked  to  perfection. 
An  egg  thus  prepared,  although  supposed  to  contain  as  much  as 
twenty-four  of  the  common  fowl  egg,  is  not  considered  too  much 
for  a single  hungry  individual ! 

We  remained  nearly  two  days  at  “ Tjobis  Fountain,”  which 
gave  our  animals  time  to  recover  a little  from  their  late  exhaust- 
ion ; but,  as  it  was  reported  to  be  another  favorite  resort  of 
lions,  and  recollecting  that  we  had  lately  .been  taught  a severe 
lesson,  we  took  the  precaution — as  may  well  be  imagined — to 
secure  the  horse  and  the  mules  during  the  night.  Many  zebras 
came  off  in  the  dark  to  drink,  but  always  absented  themselves 
during  the  day;  and  the  heat  was  too  intense  and  harassing  for 
pursuing  them  at  a distance. 

The  soil  continued  sandy,  as  before ; but  the  vegetation  had, 
notwithstanding,  vastly  improved ; for,  instead  of  naked  and 
desolate  plains,  the  ground  was  now  covered  with  a profusion 
of  thin  grass,  dwarfish  shrubs,  isolated  aloes,  and  one  or  two 
species  of  thorn  trees.  The  latter  produced,  at  this  season,  an 
abundance  of  excellent  and  nutritious  gum,  which,  though 
almost  as  sweet  as  sugar,  might  be  partaken  of  in  any  quantity 
without  the  least  inconvenience  or  disagreeable  consequence. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  we  took  our  departure  from 
“ Tjobis  Fountain,”  and,  at  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, found  ourselves,  once  more,  in  the  bed  of  the  Swakop  ; but 
here,  unfortunately,  our  mules  came  to  a dead  stand-still,  and 
nothing  could  induce  them  to  proceed  any  further.  Indeed, 
they  were  completely  knocked  up,  and  we  had  entirely  to  thank 
Stewardson  for  this,  misfortune;  for  had  we  traveled  by  night. 


3€ 


ARRIVAL  AT  RICHTERFELDT. 


as  we  ought  to  have  done,  instead  of  during  the  hottest  part  of 
the  day,  the  poor  creatures  might  have  been  as  fresh  as  when 
they  left  Scheppmansdorf,  and  we  ourselves  spared  much  suffer- 
ing. It  stands  to  reason  that  no  animal,  however  hardy,  will 
bear  much  work  or  fatigue  in  the  day  at  this  terribly  hot  season 
of  the  year.  Fortunately,  the  missionary  station,  of  Richter- 
feldt,  was  now  within  two  hours’  ride,  and  Gal  ton  at  once 
pushed  on,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  assistance.  In  a short 
time,  six  oxen,  with  attendants,  yokes,  etc.,  arrived,  and  we 
were  able  to  prosecute  our  journey  without  further  delay.  On 
reaching  the  station,  we  were  most  kindly  and  hospitably  re- 
ceived by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rath,  of  the  Rhenish  society. 

Richterfeldt  is  prettily  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  river  S.wa- 
kop,  and  at  the  junction  of  one  of  its  tributaries,  the  Ommu- 
tenna.  It  is  well  supplied  with  fresh  water,  which  is  either 
obtained  from  a prolific  mineral  spring,  or  by  digging  a few 
inches  in  the  bed  of  the  rivers.  There  is  an  abundance  of  gar- 
den ground,  which,  when  properly  cultivated  and  irrigated,  is 
exceedingly  productive.  Nearly  all  European  vegetables  thrive 
well  ; wheat  grows  to  perfection,  and  is  of  excellent  quality ; 
but  here,  as  at  Scheppmansdorf,  floods,  at  times,  cause  sad  havoc. 
The  pasturages  are  extensive  and  excellent. 

Richterfeldt  was  founded  in  1848 ; and  Mr.  Rath  had,  conse- 
quently, not  been  very  long  settled  there.  He  had  taken  up 
his  quarters  in  a temporary  hut,  consisting  of  a mud  wall,  four 
feet  high,  covered  over  by  mat-work  and  canvas.  At  the  back 
of  his  house  were  three  small  native  villages,  composed  of  about 
fifty  or  sixty  wretched  hovels,  and  numbering — children  included 
— about  two  hundred  inhabitants.  They  were  all  very  poor  ? 
but  a few  possessed  a small  drove  of  sheep  or  goats,  which  they 
obtained  in  barter  for  goods  given  them  by  the  missionary  as; 
recompense  for  labor,  errands,  and  other  services.  The  cur- 
rency is  iron  ware  ; the  regular  price  for  an  ox,  at  this  time,  was. 
an  iron  assegai,  without  the  handle  ; that  of  a sheep  or  goat,  a 
certain  quantity  of  iron  or  copper  wire — or  two  pieces  of  iron 
hoop,  each  five  or  six  inches  in  length.  The  Damaras  have  a 
perfect  mania  for  copper  and  'iron,  but  more  especially  for  the 
latter;  and  it  is  strange  to  see  how  well  a few  pieces  of  polished 
iron  become  them,  when  worn  as  ornaments. 

The  Damaras,  speaking  generally,  are  an  exceedingly  fine  race 
of  men.  Indeed,  it  is  by  no  means  unusual  to  meet  with  indi- 
viduals six  feet  and  some  inches  in  height,  and  symmetrically 
proportioned  withal.  Their  features  are,  besides,  good  and  re- 
gular; and  many  might  serve  as  perfect  models  of  the  human. 


THE  DAMARA S C OSTUME. 


39 


figure.  Their  air  and  carriage,  moreover,  is  very  graceful  and 
expressive.  But,  though  their  outward  appearance  denotes  great 
strength,  they  can  by  no  means  compare,  in  this  respect,  with 
even  moderately  strong  Europeans. 

The  complexion  of  these  people  is  dark,  though  not  entirely 
black  ; but  great  difference  is  observable  in  this  respect.  Hence, 
in  their  own  language,  they  distinguish  between  the  Ovathorondu 
— the  black  individuals — and  Ovatherandu,  or  red  ones.  Their 
eyes  are  black,  but  the  expression  is  rather  soft. 

I never  saw  any  albinos  in  Damara-land,  though  such  are  said 
to  occur  amongst  the  Caffres. 

The  women  are  often  of  the  most  delicate  and  symmetrica] 
shape,  with  full  and  rounded  forms,  and  very  small  hands  and 
feet.  Nevertheless,  from  their  precarious  mode  of  life,  and  con- 
stant exposure  to  the  sun,  etc.,  any  beauty  they  possess  is  soon 
lost ; and,  in  a more  advanced  age,  many  become  the  most 
hideous  of  human  beings. 

Both  sexes  are  exceedingly  filthy  in  their  habits.  Dirt  often 
accumulates  to  such  a degree  on  their  persons,  as  to  make  the 
color  of  their  skin  totally  indistinguishable  ; while,  to  complete 
the  disguise,  they  smear  themselves  with  a profusion  of  red  ochre 
and  grease.  Hence  the  exhalation  hovering  about  them  is  dis- 
gusting in  the  extreme. 

Neither  men  nor  women  wear  much  clothing.  Their  habili- 
ments consist  merely  of  a skin  or  two  of  sheep  or  goats,  with 
the  hair  on  or  off,  which  they  wrap  loosely  round  the  waist,  or 
throw  across  the  shoulders.  These  skins,  as  with  their  own 
limbs,  are  besmeared  with  large  quantities  of  red  ochre  and 
grease;  and,  with  the  wealthier  classes,  are  ornamented  with 
coarse  iron  and  copper  beads,  of  various  size. 

The  men  usually  go  bareheaded ; but,  in  case  of  cold  or  rain, 
they  wear  a sort  of  cap,  or  rather  piece  of  skin,  which  they  can 
convert  into  any  shape  or  size  that  fancy  may  dictate. 

Independently  of  the  skins,  the  women  wear  a kind  of  bodice, 
made  from  thousands  of  little  rounded  pieces  of  ostrich  egg- 
shells, strung  on  threads— -seven  or  eight  such  strings  being  fast- 
ened together ; but  I am  not  sure  that  it  is  not  more  for  orna- 
ment than  real  utility.  The  head-dress  of  the  married  women 
is  curious  and  highly  picturesque,  being  not  unlike  a helmet  in 
shape  and  general  appearance. 

Boys  are  usually  seen  in  a state  of  almost  absolute  nudity. 
The  girls,  however,  wear  a kind  of  apron,  cut  up  into  a number 
of  fine  strings,  which  are  sometimes  ornamented  with  iron  and 
copper  beads. 


40 


PERSONAL  DECORATIO  N W E A P O N S . 


Few  ornaments  are  worn  by  the  men,  who  prefer  seeing  them 
on  tne  persons  of  their  wives  and  daughters.  They  de'ight, 
however,  in  an  amazing  quantity  of  thin  leathern  “ riems”  (form- 
ing also  part  of  their  dress),  which  they  wind  around  their  loins 
in  a negligent  and  graceful  manner.  These  “riems” — which  are 
often  many  hundred  feet  in  length — serve  as  a receptacle  for 
their  knobsticks,  or  kieries,  their  arrows,  etc.  ; but  become,  at 
the  same  time,  a refuge  for  the  most  obnoxious  insects. 

The  women,  when  they  can  afford  it,  wear  a profusion  of  iron 
nd  copper  rings — those  of  gold  or  brass  are  held  in  little  esti- 
mation— round  their  wrists  and  ankles. 

The  weapons  of  the  Damaras  are  the  assegai,  the  kierie,  and 
the  bow  and  arrow ; they  have  also  a few  guns. 

The  head  of  the  assegai  consists  of  iron,  and  is  usually  kept 
well  polished  ; being,  moreover,  of  a soft  texture,  it  is  easily 
sharpened,  or  repaired,  if  out  of  order.  The  shaft,  though,  at 
times,  also  made  of  iron,  is  commonly  of  wood,  the  end  being  s 
usually  ornamented  with  a bushy  ox-tail.  On  account  of  its 
great  breadth,  the  assegai  is  not  well  adapted  for  stabbing,  and 
its  weight  is  such  that  it  cannot  be  thrown  to  any  considerable 
distance.  This  weapon,  in  short,  is  chiefly  used  instead  of  a 
knife,  and,  though  rather  an  awkward  substitute,  it  answers  the 
purpose  tolerably  well. 

The  kierie  is  a favorite  weapon  with  the  Damaras.  They 
handle  it  with  much  adroitness,  and  kill  birds  and  small  quad- 
rupeds with  surprising  dexterity.  Most  savage  tribes  in  South- 
ern Africa  use  this  instrument  with  great  advantage  and  effect. 
Thus,  in  speaking  of  the  Matabili,  Harris  says  : “They  rarely 

miss  a partridge  or  a guinea-fowl  on  the  wing.”  In  an  experi- 
enced hand,  the  kierie  becomes  a most  dangerous  and  effective  i 
weapon,  as  a single  well-directed  blow  is  sufficient  to  lay  low 
the  strongest  man. 

The  bow  and  arrow,  on  the  other  hand,  though  a constant 
companion,  is  not,  with  the  Damaras,  as  effective  as  it  ought  to  jj 
be.  They  never  attain  perfection  in  archery.  At  ten  or  a 
dozen  yards,  they  will  shoot  tolerably  well ; but,  beyond  that 
distance,  they  are  wretched  marksmen. 

The  Damaras  are  divided  into  two  large  tribes,  the  Ovaherero 
and  the  Ovapantiereu,  of  which  the  former  lives  nearest  to  the 
sea ; still,  with  the  exception  of  a slight  difference  in  the  lan- 
guage, they  appear  to  be  one  and  the  same  people.  They  may 
again  be  divided  into  rich  and  poor  Damaras,1  or  those  who  sub 

1 To  prevent  confusion,  when  speaking  hereafter  of  these  people,  I shall  sim-  i 


THE  LIONS— A PANIC. 


41 


sist  on  the  produce  of  their  herds ; and  those  who  have  no  cat- 
tle, or,  at  least,  very  few,  and  who  live  chiefly  by  the  chase,  and 
what  wild  fruit  and  roots  they  can  pick  up  abroad.  These  are 
called  Ovatjimba,  and  are  looked  upon  with  the  utmost  con- 
tempt by  the  prosperous  classes,  who  reduce  them  to  a state 
of  slavery,  and  do  not  even  scruple  to  take  their  lives. 

But  as  the  Damaras  are  little  known  to  Europeans,  much  is 
to  be  said  of  them,  and  they  will  require  a chapter  to  them- 
selves. I shall,  therefore,  reserve  a more  detailed  account  of 
their  peculiarities,  customs,  manners,  etc.,  to  a later  period, 
when  I became  better  acquainted  with  them  and  their  coun- 
try. 

In  consequence  of  an  unusually  severe  drought  this  year,  most 
of  the  rain-pools  in  the  neighborhood  of  Richterfeldt  were  dried 
up  ; but,  as  spring-water  was  still  to  be  found  at  that  place,  a 
great  number  of  wild  animals  nightly  congregated  there.  As 
usual  under  such  circumstances,  the  game  was  followed  by 
trqops  of  lions,  who  were  a constant  annoyance  to  us.  To 
guard  against  their  attacks,  we  had,  on  our  first  arrival,  made  a 
strong  fence  or  inclosure  round  the  camp,  but  even  then  we  did 
not  feel  very  secure. 

One  evening,  these  beasts  were  more  than  usually  trouble- 
some. The  sun  had  hardly  sunk  below  the  horizon,  when  they 
began  their  terror-striking  music,  and  kept  it  up  without  inter- 
mission till  a late  hour,  when  all  became  silent.  Believing  that 
they  had  taken  themselves  off,  I sent  the  men,  who  had  been 
watching,  to  sleep.  I was,  however,  deceived  ; for  two  hours 
had  hardly  elapsed,  when,  within  a very  short  distance  of  our 
encampment,  there  arose  a most  horrible  roaring,  intermingled 
with  the  rushing  to  and  fro,  the  kicking,  plunging,  and  neigh- 
ing of  a troop  of  zebras,  which  instantly  brought  every  man  to 
his  feet,  and  the  consternation  and  confusion  became  indescrib- 
able. Some  of  them  rushed  about  like  maniacs,  lamenting  most 
piteously  that  they  ever  left  the  Cape.  Others  convulsively 
grasped  their  blankets  in  their  arms,  and  cried  like  children  ; 
whilst  a few  stood  motionless  with  fear  and  anguish  depicted  in 
their  countenances  It  was  in  vain  that  I tried  to  calm  their 
agitation.  They  seemed  fully  convinced  that  their  last  hour 
had  come,  and  that  they  should  perish  miserably  by  the  fangs 
of  wild  beasts. 

On  going  just  outside  the  inclosure,  I could  distinctly  see  the 


ply  call  them  Damaras,  in  contradistinction  to  the  Hill-Damaras,  who  are  a to 
tally  different  race  of  natives. 


42 


HORSE  SICKNESS. 


glimmering  of  lions’  eyes,  as  our  small,  well-kept  bivouac-fire 
fell  full  upon  them.  I sent  a ball  or  two  after  the  intruders, 
but,  as  it  appeared  afterwards,  without  effect. 

The  next  morning,  we  found  that  the  zebras  had  escaped  un- 
scathed ; and  we  attributed  the  unusual  anger  and  ferocity  of 
their  pursuers  to  the  disappointment  they  had  experienced  in 
losing  their  favorite  prey. 

We  had  only  been  a short  time  at  Richterfeldt,  when  three 
of  our  mules  and  the  remaining  horse  were  seized  with  a mor- 
tal disease,  and,  in  the  course  of  a few  hours,  they  all  died. 
Though  the  loss  of  the  animals  was  great  to  us,  their  death  was 
a god-send  to  the  poor  Damaras,  who  devoured  the  carcasses 
bodily,  and  without  the  least  disagreeable  result. 

The  distemper  in  question  is  usually  known  by  the  vague 
name  of  “ paarde-sikte”  (the  horse-sickness) ; and,  as  the  cause 
is  totally  unknown,  no  remedy  has  yet  been  found  efficient  to 
stop  it.  Throughout  Great  Namaqua-land  it  is  particularly  fa- 
tal. Some  people  attribute  this  singular  disease  to  poisonous 
herbs,  of  which  the  animals  have  inadvertently  partaken ; 
dthers,  to  the  dew ; and  others,  again,  to  the  eating  the 
young  grass  j1  but  all  these  suppositions  are  highly  improb- 
able, for  reasons  which  it  would  be  unnecessary  to  enter  into 
here. 

Fatal  as  the  disease  is  to  horses,  yet,  happily,  there  are  places 
(even  in  districts  where  it  commits  the  greatest  ravages)  that 
are  always  exempt  from  it.  And,  as  these  localities  are  well 
known  to  the  natives,  if  one’s  horse  be  sent  to  them  prior  to 
the  commencement  of  the  sickly  season — usually  the  months 
of  November  and  December — the  animals  invariably  escape  the 
malady.  The  attack  of  our  animals  was  an  unusual  exception 
to  this  rule ; for  they  fell  victims  to  the  disease  fully  a month 
prior  to  the  rainy  season. 

From  the  Orange  river,  on  the  south,  and  as  far  north  as  Eu- 
ropeans have  penetrated  from  the  Cape  side,  this  deadly  disease 
is  known  to  prevail,  and  is  one  of  the  greatest  drawbacks  to  suc- 
cessful traveling  in  South  Africa. 

1 A similar  notion  prevails  with  regard  to  that  most  curious  little  animal,  tha 
lemming  ( lemmus  norvegicus,  Worm.),  on  whose  mysterious  appearance  and  dis- 
appearance so  many  hypotheses  have  been  unsatisfactorily  expanded.  Sea 
Lloyd’s  “ Scandinavian  Adventures,”  vol.  ii.,  chap.  v. 


CHAPTER  V. 


HANS  LAKSEN HIS  EXPLOITS HE  JOINS  THE  EXPEDITION HOW  PEOPLE 

TRAVEL  ON  OX-BACK- RHINOCEROS  HUNT — -DEATH  OF  THE  BEAST “ LOOK 

BEFORE  YOU  LEAP” ANECDOTE  PROVING  THE  TRUTH  OF  THE  PROVERB 

HANS  AND  THE  LION THE  DOCTOR  IN  DIFFICULTIES SUFFERINGS  ON 

THE  NAARIP  PLAIN ARRIVAL  AT  SCHEPPMANSDORF. 

When  at  the  Cape,  we  heard  much  of  an  individual  named 
Hans  Larsen,  who  was  distinguished  in  a very  remarkable  degree, 
for  courage,  energy,  perseverance,  and  endurance.  This  man . 
was  a Dane  by  birth,  and  a sailor  by  profession  ; but,  becom- 
ing disgusted  with  a sea-faring  life,  had,  a few  years  previous!}7, 
left  his  ship,  and  was  now  residing  somewhere  near  to  Walfisch 
Bay. 

On  visiting  Mr.  Bam,  at  Scheppmansdorf,  that  gentleman  con- 
firmed to  the  full  all  we  had  been  told  about  Hans,  and  strong- 
ly recommended  Mr.  Galton  to  take  him  into  his  service.  It 
was  not,  however,  until  our  arrival  at  Ricliterfeldt,  where  Hans 
then  resided,  that  we  had  an  opportunity  to  make  his  personal 
acquaintance.  Up  to  a rather  recent  period,  he  had  been  in 
charge  of  a herd  of  cattle  ; but  he  was  now  living  independ 
ently  on  the  produce  of  his  live-stock  and  the  spoils  of  th 
chase. 

Hans  was  a fine  specimen  of  the  true  Northman — fair  com 
plexion,  light  hair,  blue  eyes;  and,  though  not  above  the  ordi- 
nary stature,  he  was  very  muscular  and  powerfully  built.  His 
strength,  indeed,  almost  exceeded  belief.  One  of  his  feats  was  to 
carry  an  enormous  anvil — which  no  ordinary  man  could  lift  from 
the  ground — with  as  many  persons  as  could  possibly  cling  to  it 


14 


HANS  LARSEN. 


On  one  occasion,  he  had  borne  from  place  to  place  a block  o t 
stone,  which  required  ten  men  to  lift  on  to  his  shoulders ! 

In  consequence  of  his  great  strength  and  courage,  he  was 
much  feared  by  the  natives,  who,  nevertheless,  took  pleasure 
in  teasing  him  ; but  being  of  a very  quiet  disposition,  he  seldom 
resented  their  impertinences.  One  day,  however,  when  they 
had  carried  their  jokes  somewhat  too  far,  he  raised  his  Herculean 
fist,  and,  with  a single  blow,  leveled  to  the  ground  the  nearest 
of  his  tormentors.  At  first,  it  was  thought  that  the  man  was 
killed  ; but,  fortunately,  he  was  only  stunned.  On  recovering 
from  his  stupor,  he  vowed  vengeance  ; but,  unable  to  carry  out 
his  purpose  alone,  he  laid  his  complaint  before  the  chief  of  the 
tribe;  and  a “ raad,”  or  council,  was  held.  Man}'- were  for 
severe  punishment — but,  at  last,  when  all  the  members  had 
spoken,  the  chief  rose  and  told  them  that,  in  his  opinion,  the 
offense  should  be  passed  over — and  that,  for  the  future,  it  would 
be  better  not  to  molest  Hans;  for,  if  they  did,  they  would  only 
fare  worse.  This  advice  was  felt  to  be  a prudent  caution — and 
from  that  day  forward  they  ceased  to  worry  the  Dane. 

Hans  was  an  excellent  and  indefatigable  sportsman,  and  so 
successful  that,  though  the  country,  on  his  first  arrival,  literally 
teemed  with  rhinoceroses,  lions,  giraffes,  zebras,  gnoos,  gemsboks, 
etc.,  he  had  all  but  exterminated  them. 

To  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  abundance  of  game  and 
wild  beasts,  then  existing  in  this  part  of  Africa,  I may  mention 
that  Hans  once  shot,  with  his  own  hand,  no  less  than  nine  rhi- 
noceroses in  the  course  of  a single  day.1 

Hans  ate  very  little  animal  food  ; but,  whenever  he  could 
afford  it,  he  drank  an  amazing  quantity  of  tea  and  coffee. 
His  chief  nourishment,  however,  was  thick  sour  milk,  which 


be  swallowed  in  gallons.  It  is  wonderful  how  people  thrive  on 
this  diet,  which  is  the  main  sustenance  of  the  Damaras,  who, 
as  has  already  been  said,  are  remarkably  fine-looking  men. 

Hans,  on  the  proposal  being  made  to  him  by  Mr.  Galton, 
agreed  to  accompany  us  in- the  capacity  of  head  man  ; and  we 
vvere  truly  fortunate  to  secure  so  able  and  practiced  a hand. 

Indeed,  from  after-experience,  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  we 
should  have  been  able  to  get  on  without  him.  We  had,  more- 
over, found  that  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  obtain  from  the 
natives,  by  barter,  any  considerable  number  of  cattle  ; and,  even 


1 His  hunting-  dress,  on  these  occasions,  consisted  simply  of  a thick,  coarse, 
blue  shirt  or  blouse,  secured,  by  a belt,  round  his  waist,  containing  his  balls,  caps, 
vradding,  etc. 


RIDING  ON  OX-BACK. 


45 


had  we  succeeded,  they  would  have  been  so  wild  and  unmanage- 
able, that  we  could  not  have  made  use  of  them  for  months.  Now, 
as  Hans  had  a small  drove  of  his  own,  several  of  which  were  al- 
ready broken-in,  and  the  rest  more  or  less  tractable,  and  was 
willing  to  part  with  them  at  a moderate  price,  Mr.  Galton  se- 
cured the  whole  lot  without  a moment’s  hesitation,  and  thus 
we  had  overcome  a difficulty  which  had  long  given  us  some  un- 
easiness. 

Hans  had  in  his  employ  an  English  lad,  named  John  Aliens 
who  had  also  been  a sailor,  and  who,  like  his  master,  had  left 
his  ship  in  Walfisch  Bay.  In  the  absence  of  his  employer,  John 
had  been  accustomed  to  take  charge  of  the  cattle  and  the  house  • 
and  being  an  excellent  and  well-behaved  youth,  he  also  was  ad- 
mitted into  Mr.  Galton’s  service. 

After  a few  days’  rest,  it  was  determined  that  Hans  and  my- 
self, together  with  most  of  the  people,  should  return  to  Schepp- 
mansdorf,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking-in  the  oxen,  and  bring- 
ing up  the  wagons  and  the  s-tores. 

Hans  presented  me  with  an  ox  called  “ Spring,”  which  I 
afterwards  rode  upwards  of  two  thousand  miles.  On  the  day 
of  our  departure,  he  mounted  us  all  on  oxen,  and  a curious 
sight  it  was  to  see  some  of  the  men  take  their  seats  who  had 
never  before  ridden  on  ox-back.  It  is  impossible  to  guide  an 
ox  as  one  would  guide  a horse,  for  in  the  attempt  to  do  so  you 
would  instantly  jerk  the  stick  out  of  his  nose,  which  at  once 
deprives  you  of  every  control  over  the  beast;  but  by  pulling 
both  sides  of  the  bridle  at  the  same  time,  and  towards  the  side 
you  wish  him  to  take,  he  is  easily  managed.  Your  seat  is  no 
/ess  awkward  and  difficult;  for  the  skin  of  the  ox,  unlike  that 
of  the  horse,  is  loose  ; and,  notwithstanding  your  saddle  may  be 
tightly  girthed,  you  keep  rocking  to  and  fro,  like  a child  in  a 
cradle.  A few  days,  however,  enables  a person  to  acquire  a 
certain  steadiness,  and  long  habit  will  do  the  rest. 

Ox-traveling,  when  once  a man  is  accustomed  to  it,  is  not 
so  disagreeable  as  might  be  expected,  particularly  if  one  suc- 
ceed in  obtaining  a tractable  animal.  On  emergencies,  an  ox 
can  be  made  to  proceed  at  a tolerably  quick  pace;  for  though 
his  walk  is  only  about  three  miles  an  hour  at  an  average,  he 
may  be  made  to  perform  double  that  distance  in  the  same  time. 
Mr.  Galton  once  accomplished  twenty-four  miles  in  four  hours, 
and  that,  too,  through  heavy  sand! 

Early  one  morning  we  reached  Annis  Fountain,  where,  as  on 
a previous  occasion,  we  observed  a number  of  rhinoceros  tracks.  v 
Leaving  the  men  to  take  care  of  the  oxen,  Hans,  Stewardson 


BHIN  )CEBOS  HUNT. 


*o 

and  myself  selected  the  freshest  “spoor,”  and  started  off  in 
pursuit;  but  after  several  hours’  hard  walking  under  a burn- 
ing sun,  we  were  apparently  as  far  from  the  quarry  as  ever,  and 
Stewardson,  who  was  quite  knocked  up,  used  his  best  endea- 
vors to  persuade  us  from  proceeding  further.  We  would  not 
listen  to  him,  however,  but,  allowing  him  to  return  to  the  en- 
campment, continued  to  toil  on,  though  with  but  little  hope  of 
success. 

An  hour  might  have  elapsed,  after  we  had  thus  parted  from 
Stewardson,  when  I observed  in  a distant  glen  a dark  object, 
which,  as  it  excited  mv  suspicion,  I instantly  pointed  out  to 
Hans,  who  would  not  believe  that  it  was  anything  but  a large 
‘boulder.”  Nevertheless,  we  proceeded  towards  the  spot,  and 
I soon  saw  that  the  shapeless  mass  was  nothing  less  than  the 
rhinoceros  of  which  we  were  in  seach.  Hans,  however,  who 
had  had  frequent  opportunities  of  seeing  this  animal  in  all  posi- 
tions, remained  skeptical  on  the  point;  and  it  was  not  till  we 
were  within  about  twenty  paces  of  the  beast  that  his  doubts 
were  removed.  With  noiseless  and  quickened  step,  and  our 
guns  on  the  full  cock,  we  made  up  to  the  monster,  which  still 
gave  no  signs  of  life.  At  last,  however,  one  of  us  whistled;  on 
which,  and  with  the  rapidity  of  thought,  the  beast  sat  up  on 
its  haunches,  and  surveyed  us  with  a curious  and  sulky  look 
But  it  was  only  a moment;  for,  before  he  had  time  to  get  on 
his  legs,  two  well-directed  balls  laid  him  prostrate  within  less 
than  half-a-dozen  paces  of  our  feet. 

In  the  pride  of  success,  I somewhat  foolishly  leaped  upon  his 
back,  and,  African-like,  plunged  my  hunting-knife  into  the 
flesh  to  ascertain  if  our  prize  was  fat.  But  whether  life  was 
not  altogether  extinct,  or  that  the  sudden  access  of  my  weight 
caused  a vibration  in  the  lately-living  body,  certain  it  is  that  I 
felt  the  beast  move  under  me,  when,  as  may  be  supposed,  I 
speedily  jumped  to  the  ground  again,  and  made  off  Though 
my  apprehensions  in  this  instance  were  groundless,  the  fol- 
lowing anecdote,  related  to  me  by  the  natives,  will  show  that 
there  is  considerable  danger  in  too  quickly  approaching  an  ap- 
parently dead  rhinoceros:-  — 1 

Some  Namaquas  had  shot  one  of  these  animals  as  it  was 

1 Most  animals,  when  shot,  or  otherwise  killed,  fall  on  their  sides ; but  the  rhi- 
noceros is  often  an  exception  to  this  rule  at  least  such  is  my  experience.  Ic  nine 
cases  out  of  ten,  of  all  those  I have  killed  durirg'  my  wanderings  in  Ai'rtcar  -ayd 
they  amount  to  upwards  of  one  hundred— L found  them  on  ihew-  kneet-  with 

the  fore  part  of  their  ponderous  heads  resting  w grouiid 


HANS’  ADVENTURE  WITH  A LION. 


rising  from  its  sleep.  One  of  the  party,  imagining  the  beast  to 
be  dead,  straightway  went  up  to  it;  and  (with  like  object  as 
myself)  acted  precisely  as  I had  done.  The  beast,  however, 
had  only  been  stunned  ; and  as  soon  as  he  felt  the  cold  steel 
enter  his  body,  he  started  to  his  feet  and  made  otf  at  full  speed. 
This  action  was  so  instantaneous  as  to  prevent  the  man  from 
dismounting,  and  the  other  Namaquas  were  paralyzed  with 
fear.  Fortunately,  however,  after  the  beast  had  run  forty  or 
fifty  paces,  he  suddenly  stopped  short  and  looked  round.  The 
favorable  opportunity  was  not  lost — for  one  of  the  party,  more 
courageous  than  the  rest,  instantly  fired,  and,  as  good  luck 
would  have  it,  brought  the  animal  to  the  ground,  with  his  ter- 
ror-stricken rider  still  clinging  to  his  back. 

On  rejoining  our  party,  Stewardson  was  not  a little  surprised 
at  our  success,  and  mortified  at  his  own  want  of  perseverance. 
The  flesh  of  the  rhinoceros  was  poor,  but  not  unpalatable  ; 
and  we  remained  a day  at  Annis,  to  cut  up  and  dry  part  of  it  as 
provision  for  the  journey.  We  also  carried  away  a goodly 
supply  of  the  beast’s  hide,  for  the  purpose  of  converting  it 
into  “ shamboks.”1 

One  day,  as  I was  riding  with  Hans,  he  pointed  out  to  me  a 
place  where  he  had  been  attacked  by  a lion  in  broad  daylight, 
pulled  off  his  ox,  and  only  escaped  death  by  a miracle. 

Not  being  encumbered  by  a vehicle,  we  were  now  able  to 
hold  the  course  of  the  Swakop  uninterruptedly  ; but,  on  arriving 
at  the  Usab  gorge,  it  became  necessary  to  leave  the  river,  and 
to  cross  the  Naarip  plain  to  Scheppmansdorf.  From  the  great 
length  of  this  stage  (fifteen  hours’  actual  travel),  and  the  total 
absence  of  water  and  pasturage,  it  is  necessary  to  traverse  it 
during  the  night.  As  thick  fogs  and  mists,  however,  are  not 
uncommon  here,  the  traveler  is  exposed  to  some  risk.  It  not 
unfrequently  happens  that  he  loses  the  track — the  result  of 
which  usually  is  that,  when  the  day  breaks  upon  him,  he  finds 
himself  either  back  at  the  place  from  which  he  started,  or  iu 


1 The  “ shambok”  (a  Dutch  term)  consists  of  a strip  of  the  stoutest  part  of  the 
hide  of  the  rhinoceros,  or  the  hippopotamus.  After  being  stretched  on  the  ground, 
and  when  it  has  acquired  a certain  stiffness,  the  strip  is  subjected  to  a severe 
hammering,  for  the  double  purpose  of  condensing  it,  and  giving  it  a rounded 
shape.  It  is  then  reduced  to  the  desired  size  by  means  of  a knife,  or  plane  ; and, 
lastly,  a piece  of  sand-paper,  or  glass — If  at  hand — is  employed  to  give  it  the 
finishing  smoothness  and  polish.  The  “ shambok”  is  exceedingly  tough  and  plia- 
ble, will  inflict  the  most  severe  wounds  and  bruises,  and  will  last  for  years.  I he 
price  of  one  of  these  “ whips,”  in  the  colony,  varies  from  eighteen  pence  to  as 
much  as  nine  or  ten  shillings. 


THE  DOCTOR’S  ADVENTURE. 


4 8 

some  unknown  part  of  the  plain.  Instances  are  narrated  of 
people  having  remained  in  this  inhospitable  desert  as  long  as 
three  days!  “ Losing  the  way,”  as  my  friend  Galton  says,  “ is 
the  rule  here,  and  not  the  exception  ; and  a person  who  has 
crossed  the  plain  without  doing  so,  rather  plumes  himself  upon 
the  feat.” 

Hans  recited  to  me  the  particulars  of  an  adventure  which 
happened  to  an  European  in  this  wilderness.  During  the  time 
Captain  Greybourn  (to  whom  allusion  has  already  been  made) 
was  established  at  Walfisch  Bay,  the  medical-  gentleman  who 
resided  with  him  had  occasion  to  cross  the  Naarip  plain  ; but, 
being  a total  stranger  to  the  country,  he  engaged  a Hottentot 
as  guide.  The  day  proved  hot  and  oppressive,  and  the  .way- 
farers had  not  proceeded  far,  when  the  doctor  felt  faint  and 
thirsty.  On  inquiry  of  his  attendant,  whether  any  water  could 
be  obtained,  he  received  a sulky  and  unsatisfactory  answer,  and 
was  about  to  prosecute  his  journey,  when  the  man  thu 
abruptly  addressed  him — 

“You’ve  got  a very  nice  hat,  sir,  which  you  must  give  me, 
or  I will  not  stir  another  step.” 

Under  ordinary  circumstances,  to  comply  with  such  a request 
would  have  been  inconvenient;  but  it  was  still  more  annoying 
in  the  present  instance,  exposed,  as  the  doctor  was,  to  a scorch- 
ing sun.  Finding  himself,  however,  entirely  at  the  man’s 
mercy,  and  seeing  nothing  but  a howling  wilderness  all  around 
him, "he  grudgingly  gave  the  hat,  hoping  to  be  exempted  from 
further  importunity.  But  he  was  mistaken  in  this  matter;  for 
be  had  not  proceeded  much  further  when  the  Hottentot  sat 
himself  quietly  down  on  the  sand,  complaining  bitterly  of  the 
immense  distance  they  had  yet  to  perform,  adding,  with  a sly 
ook  at  the  doctor,  that  he  thought  his  jacket  would  fit  him  ex- 
actly ! The  medical  gentleman  was  amazed  at  the  fellow’s 
impudence,  and,  at  first,  refused  this  new  demand ; but,  as  the 
mail  said  that  unless  he  received  the  garment  he  would  leave 
him  to  his  fate,  he  was  obliged  to  comply- 

In  this  manner,  he  gradually  divested  the  chicken-hearted 
doctor  of  his  apparel  ; and  would,  in  all  probability,  not  have 
left  him  in  possession  of  the  shirt  on  his  back,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  timely  arrival  of  Hans  and  another  European,  then  on 
their  way  to  Walfisch  Bay.  The  doctor’s  story  was,  of  course, 
soon  told,  and  the  rascally  Hottentot  was  not  only  deprived  of 
his  booty,  but  soundly  thrashed  into  the  bargain. 

After  having  given  the  animals  the  necessary  rest,  we  set 
out  the  next  afternoon,  about  three  o’clock,  on  the  last  stage 


THE  NAARIP  PLAIN. 


49 


for  Scheppmansdorf.  As  the  evening  was  starlight,  we  pro- 
ceeded at  a brisk  pace  till  about  midnight,  when  there  sud- 
denly arose  from  the  sea  a gloomy,  bitter  cold  mist,  which  soon 
enveloped  us  in  total  darkness,  and  completely  saturated  every 
article  of  our  dress.  Unfortunately,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
night,  we  had  purposely  left  the  wagon-track  to  save  a very 
circuitous  part  of  the  road,  and  we  had  now  nothing  to  guide 
us.  Still  we  toiled  on  as  well  as  we  could. 

But  we  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  the  poor  Damaras  to 
keep  pace  with  us,  who,  being  naked,  suffered  extremely 
Every  ten  minutes,  they  would  lie  down  on  the  cold  sand,  per- 
fectly indifferent  to  the  consequences.  If  we  had  not  used  the 
utmost  vigilance  in  keeping  them  moving,  I am  quite  con- 
vinced that  some  of  them  would  have  perished.  Towards 
morning,  the  cold  became  so  intense  that  I was  no  longer 
capable  of  holding  the  reins,  and,  therefore,  dismounted,  and 
proceeded  on  foot.  Daybreak  brought  no  relief;  for  the  fog 
still  prevented  us  from  ascertaining  our  position.  The  instinct 
of  the  oxen,  however,  came  to  our  rescue,  and,  by  giving 
them  their  own  way,  they  soon  took  us  safely  to  our  de* 
tination. 


4 


CHAPTER  VI. 


RETURN  TO  SCHEPPMANSDORF TRAINING  OXEN  FOR  THE  YOKE SPORT- 
ING  THE  FLAMINGO THE  BUTCHER-BIRD:  CURIOUS  SUPERSTITION 

REGARDING  IT PREPARING  FOR  JOURNEY SERVANTS  DESCRIBED. 

I 

Mn.  and  Mrs.  Bam,  and  their  family,  were,  I was  glad  to 
find,  in  good  health ; and,  as  heretofore,  they  gave  me  not 
only  a most  kind  reception,  but  placed  at  my  disposal  the 
best  of  everything  which  the  house  afforded. 

It  is  wonderful  what  habit  and  association  will  effect. 
When  I visited  Scheppmansdorf  in  the  first  instance,  I thought 
it  the  most  dismal  spot  that  human  eye  ever  rested  on.  But, 
in  the  short  space  of  a few  weeks,  it  had  almost  become  en- 
deared to  me.  I found  what  Shakespeare  calls  the  “ soul  of 
goodness  in  things  evil.”  Dreariness  was  softened  down  into 
peaceful  seclusion  ; the  savage  country  round  about  assumed 
the  dignity  of  primeval  nature,  fresh  from  the  hand  of  the 
Creator;  and  the  solemn  and  stern  night-silence  only  hushed 
me  into  sounder  sleep.  These  feelings,  and  this  trusting 
repose,  mainly  originated  in  the  kind  ministrations,  and  unaf- 
fected welcome,  of  sincere  friends. 

After  a day  or  two’s  rest,  we  began  the  difficult  and 
laborious  task  of  breaking-in  the  oxen;  but  it  proved  a much 
more  difficult  one  than  I had  anticipated.  Whilst  herded 
together,  these  animals  looked  tame  and  docile  enough  ; but 
the  instant  they  felt  the  lasso  round  their  legs  or  horns,  their 
character  changed  completely. 

The  spirit  of  Damara  cattle  is  fiery  and  wild  in  the  extreme, 
and  I have  known  many  an  ox  which  ten  strong  men  were  j 
unable  to  manage.  The  only  remedy  in  such  a case,  is  to 


THE  FISCAAL PREPARING  TO  TRAVEL.  51 


lasso  the  beast  by  bis  legs  and  horns,  and,  after  having  thrown 
him  down,  to  affix  to  his  neck  a heavy  iron  chain,  of  sufficient 
length  to  trail  along  the  ground.  The  effect  on  the  animal  of 
this  encumbrance  is  in  some  instances  very  remarkable;  for, 
instead  of  a wild,  stubborn,  and  unbending  brute,  in  a short 
time  he  is  all  docility.  Indeed,  it  not  unfrequently  happens 
that  he  becomes  too  lazy  to  be  of  any  use. 

Whilst  at  Scheppmansdorf,  and  whenever  I could  snatch  a 
a moment  from  my  busy  life,  I never  failed  to  shoulder  my  gun 
with  a view  of  obtaining  specimens  of  natural  history,  or  a 
“reinforcement  for  the  larder;”  and  an  hour’s  walk  not  un- 
frequently procured  me  a tolerable  share  of  both.  Ducks  and 
geese,  though  somewhat  shy,  were  by  no  means  uncommon. 
Quadrupeds,  of  every  description,  however,  were  scarce.  Yet 
I managed,  occasionally,  to  bag  a steinbok  or  a hare. 

Almost  every  morn  we  were  visited  by  a splendid  flock  of 
pelicans,  who  kept  soaring  above  the  place  for  hours  together; 
now  in  wide,  graceful  circles,  the  next  instant  in  a compact 
body,  sometimes  rising  into  the  sky,  till  they  became  nearly 
invisible;  then  suddenly  sinking  till  they  almost  touched  the 
earth ; when  abruptly,  as  if  recollecting  that  the  land  was  not 
their  proper  home,  they  would  resume  their  airy  station.  They 
generally  ended  by  settling  near  a large  reedy  fountain;  but 
they  were  very  difficult  of  approach. 

The  lanius  subcoronatus , a species  of  shrike,  first  described  by 
Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  I found  to  be  common  at  Scheppmansdorf; 
as  also  the  butcher-bird,  which,  as  known,  always  impales  its 
prey  on  some  thorn  or  sharp-pointed  stick  before  devouring  it. 
The  Cape  people  call  this  bird  the  “ liscaal,”  or  magistrate,  in 
consequence  of  a superstitious  belief  that  it  represents  among 
the  smaller  animals  what  the  judge  does  amongst  men.  Many 
even  go  further,  and  say  that  the  “ fiscaal”  only  administers 
justice  on  a Friday;  probably,  from  the  Dutch  court  of  justice 
being  held,  in  former  times,  on  that  particular  day. 

Part  of  the  oxen  being  at  length  pretty  well  trained  to  the 
yoke,  we  made  preparations  for  our  departure. 

When  we  left  the  Cape,  the  belief  was  entertained  that  we 
should  be  able  to  carry  thirty  or  forty  hundred-weight  on  each 
wagon  ; but,  on  taking  into  account  our  young  and  wild  cattle, 
and  the  sandy  and  heavy  soil  through  which  we  should  have  to 
pass,  we  had  ere  this  made  up  our  minds  to  reduce  the  quantity 
to  rather  less  than  one  third  of  this  weight,  or  to  about  fifteen 
hundred  pounds.  Even  this,  as  will  shortly  be  seen,  proved 
too  great.  Accordingly,  every  article  was  carefully  weighed 


62 


SERVANTS- 


with  the  steel-yard  previously  to  being  stowed  away  in  the 
wagons. 

Before  proceeding  further  in  my  narrative,  it  may  be  proper 
to  introduce  to  the  reader  our  traveling  establishment,  as  the  || 
character  of  the  several  individuals  composing  it  had,  by  this 
time,  become  pretty  well  developed.  And  though,  amongst 
our  retainers,  we  had  more  than  one  “ black  sheep,”  and  others 
whom  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  keep  in  ordee,  yet,  taking 
them  together,  they  were,  probably,  a fair  average  of  the  ser- 
vants likely  to  be  picked  up  by  the  African  traveler.  On  an 
expedition,  similar  to  the  one  in  which  we . were  engaged,  I |j 
should  remark,  people  cannot  be  too  particular  in  the  selection  j 
of  their  attendants  ; for,  to  say  nothing  of  the  success  of  the 
undertaking,  one’s  personal  comfort  mainly  depends  on  their 
good  behavior. 

First,  in  order,  was  a youth  named  Gabriel,  a native  of  the 
Cape.  He  had  been  engaged  by  Galton  chiefly  for  his  smiling 
face  and  winning  looks;  but  he  proved  himself  to  be  the  most 
troublesome  of  the  whole  lot.  In  our  journey  up  the  country, 
he  had  already  exhibited  a vindictive  temper  and  quarrelsome 
disposition,  which,  at  length,  broke  forth  with  increased  vio- 
ence.  On  two  separate  occasions,  he  attempted,  if  I was  right- 
ly informed,  the  lives  of  his  fellow-servants.  Upon  this  atrocity, 

I spoke  to  him  with  earnest  reprobation,  and  trusted  that  I had 
produced  some  effect ; when,  to  my  astonishment,  and  mortifi- 
cation, the  very  next  day  he  was  guilty  of  the  same  outrage. 
After  a dispute  with  one  of  his  companions,  he  rushed  upon 
him  with  a hatchet,  and  would,  undoubtedly,  have  cleft  his  skull 
had  it  not  been  for  a Hottentot,  who  warded  off  the  blow.  So 
little  did  the  young  villain  think  of  the  crime  he  had  intended, 
to  perpetrate,  that,  upon  receiving  punishment,  he  had  the  im- 
pudence to  remonstrate,  and  to  ask  why  he  was  flogged. 

Next,  in  order,  came  Abraham  Wenzel  (a  native  also,  I be- 
lieve, of  Cape-Town),  a wheelwright  by  trade,  and  by  habit  a 
thief.  Even  before  leaving  Scheppmansdorf,  I received  infor- 
mation that  he  had  purloined  divers  articles  from  the  stores,  for 
which  crime  he  received  his  due  punishment. 

Another  of  our  servants  was  named  John  Waggoner.  This 
man  teased  us  continually  by  his  sulkiness  and  reluctance  to 
work,  assigning  as  a reason,  that  he  had  been  seized  with  home- 
sickness, and  that  he  wished  to  return  immediately  to  the  Cape. 
Some  little  time  afterwards,  he  was  gratified  in  his  wish  ; and, 
as  will  subsequently  he  seen,  he  proved  himself  the  worst  scamp 
of  the  set  But  John  performed  his  fraudulent  tricks  with  so 


OUR  COOK. 


53 


much  cleverness,  ingenuity,  and  self-confiaence,  that,  out  of 
mere  admiration  at  his  dexterity,  I could  not  refrain  from  excus- 
ing him.  * 

John  St.  Helena,  a relative  of  the  last-mentioned,  was  born 
in  the  Cape-colony,  and  officiated  as  our  head  wagoner.  This 
man  exhibited  the  most  extraordinary  disposition  ; for,  though 
sometimes  he  would  be  good-natured,  willing,  and  hard-working, 
at  others  lie- was  sulky,  ill-tempered,  and  indolent.  At  first,  I 
felt  much  annoyed  at  his  irritable  and  changeable  temper,  but 
I soon  found  that,  by  interfering,  1 only  made  matters  worse  ; 
and,  as  he  was  an  “ excellent  whip,”  it  was  necessary  to  put 
up  with,  and  overlook,  a great  deal,  as  we  should  have  found  it 
almost  impossible  to  replace  him  in  so  wild  and  inhospitable  a 
region.  About  three  years  afterwards  I employed  him  again  , 
and,  strange  to  say,  he  was  then  the  best  of  servants. 

Another  of  the  attendants,  John  Williams,  also  a colony  man, 
was  a short,  stout,  merry,  mischievous-looking  lad,  who  agreed 
to  serve  in  any  capacity  to  which  he  might  be  competent.  He 
now  cooked  for  the  men,  assisted  in  “ inspanning”  and  leading 
the  oxen,  washed  clothes — in  short,  made  himself  generally 
useful.  Still  he  was  careless,  thoughtless,  and  dirty  in  his 
habits;  and  had  not  the  least  idea  of  husbanding  the  provisions. 
The  result  was,  that  before  we  had  been  many  months  in  the 
country,  our  stock  of  vegetables,  coffee,  tea,  and  other  necessa- 
ries was  all  but  gone. 

Our  own  cook,  John  Mortar,  a native  of  Madeira,  was  the 
very  reverse  of  this.  He  was  careful,  frugal,  industrious,  strict- 
ly honest,  and  deeply  attached  to  his  master’s  interest.  His 
only  fault  was  irritability;  but  this,  in  a cook,  is  always  excusa- 
ble. I had  a great  regard  for  poor  John,  and  I believe  the  at- 
tachment was  mutual. 

Mortar  had  been  cook  to  the  club  in  Cape-Town,  where  he 
won  golden  opinions  ; but,  though  he  had  certainly  attained 
some  proficiency  in  the  culinary  art,  he  required  a whole  gro- 
cer’s shop  to  prepare  a dinner;  and  it  was  some  time  before  he 
could  reconcile  himself  to  make  a beef-steak  a la  fagon  sau- 
vag-e. 

O 

John  had  a famous  way  of  telling  stories  ; and,  like  his  own 
dishes,  they  were  very  savory  and  well-spiced  : a tale  never 
degenerated  in  his  hands  ; and  when,  in  his  happier  moments, 
he  condescended  to  open  his  mind,  he  never  failed  to  keep  his 
audience  in  a roar  of  laughter.  He  had,  moreover,  great  ambition, 
and  could  never  bear  that  any  one  should  interfere  with  his 
cooking  establishment.  The  arrival  of  a batch  of  natives  at  his 


f>4 


THE  HANDSOME  BLACK. 


fire  was  the  signal  for  a general  burst  of  eloquent  abuse  ; and, 
if  this  did  not  suffice,  he  had  a provoking  way  of  scattering  the 
hot  coals  and  ashes  over  the  naked  legs  of  the  poor  unsuspect- 
ing savages,  which,  of  course,  never  failed  to  have  the  desired 
effect.  I often  trembled  for  John;  for  his  mind  was  clearly  too 
republican  to  make  any  difference  between  chief  and  subject ; 
and  I was  surprised  that  he  never  got  into  a scrape.  I suppose, 
however,  the  comical  manner  in  which  his  dangerous  experi- 
ments were  always  carried  on,  served  rather  to  amuse  than  irri- 
tate or  provoke. 

John  lived  to  return  to  the  Cape,  where  he  became  another 
Gulliver,  embellishing  his  adventures  among  the  savages  with 
marvels  which  would  have  done  honor  to  the  invention  even  of 
Dean  Swift. 

I now  come  to  the  last,  but  certainly  not  the  least  interest- 
ing, of  the  servants.  This  man’s  name  was  Timbo ; he  was  a 
native  of  Mazapa,  a country  far  in  the  interior,  lying  to  the 
west  of  the  Portuguese  settlements,  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa. 

When  yet  a child,  Timbo’s  country  was  invaded  by  a fero- 
cious and  powerful  tribe  of  Caffres,  who  carried  off  the  cat- 
tle, and  slew  many  of  the  inhabitants.  Amongst  the  latter, 
were  his  parents ; he,  himself  escaped  to  a neighboring  tribe. 
As  this,  however,  soon  after  shared  a similar  fate  to  his  own,  he 
was,  tor  a long  time,  a “stranger  on  the  face  of  the  earth.”  At 
last,  he  was  sold  as  a slave  to  the  Portuguese  ; but,  after  a while 
effected  his  escape.  His  liberty,  however,  was  of  short  duration, 
for  he  was  soon  recaptured,  and  put  on  board  a slaver.  Fortu- 
nately, the  vessel  fell  into  the  hands  of  an  English  cruiser,  and 
Timbo,  together  with  a great  number  of  slaves,  was  brought  to 
the  Cape,  and  liberated. 

Though  of  a shining,  dark  complexion,  Timbo  was  a remark- 
ably tine-looking  man,  and  well  formed.  He  bore  the  repu- 
tation of  being  a complete  lady-killer,  not  only  with  those 
of  his  own  color,  but  also  amongst  the  European  “ fair  sex.” 
He  had,  therefore,  no  great  difficulty  in  securing  a partner.  His 
choice,  however,  seems  to  have  been  unfortunate  ; for,  on  his 
return,  after  eighteen  months’  absence,  he  found  that  his  faith- 
less spouse  had  not  only  deserted  him  for  another,  but  had 
also  carried  off  with  her  nearlv  the  whole  of  his  hard-earned 
wages.  On  asking  him,  one  day,  whether  he  had  any  intention 
of  again  marrying,  he  replied,  in  his  strange  patois: — “No, 
maser,  me  no  more  marry ; women  too  great  rascals  in  the 
Kaap !” 

But  it  was  not  only  of  a handsome  face  and  good  figure  that 


THE  HANDSOME  BLACK. 


55 


Timbo  could  boast,  for  be  possessed,  in  addition,  many  excellent 
qualities — such  as  even  temper,  generosity,  honesty,  prudence, 
industry — and  like  our  cook,  he  was  sincere  in  his  attachment 
to  the  interest  of  his  employer.  With  Galton  and  myself  he 
was  a great  favorite.  He  possessed,  moreover,  the  most  cheer- 
ful disposition,  and  an  inexhaustible  store  of  fun.  I was,  indeed, 
never  tired  of  listening  to  his  tales  ; for  he  told  them  with 
such  force  and  simplicity,  that  it  was  impossible  not  to  be 
pleased  and  amused. 

When  reproached  for  anything  of  which  he  knew  himself  to  be 
innocent,  he  would  lay  his  hand  on  his  breast  and  say  : — “ No, 
maser,  me  know  dat,  me  tell  you.”  Or — “ No,  maser,  me 
heart  know  that,  me  heart  reproach  me,  and  me  tell  you.” 

Timbo  had  a wonderful  aptitude  for  languages  ; but,  though 
acquainted  with  many,  he  spoke  none  well.  Still,  his  speech 
was  remarkably  fluent,  and  nothing  brought  it  forth  with  such 
abundant  fervor  as  when  mention  was  made  of  his  own 
country.  This  was  like  touching  an  electric  rod,  and  he  spoke 
in  ecstasies.  No  European  could  take  more  pride  in  his  native 
soil  than  this  man  did  in  his  ; and  if  the  rest  of  his  countrymen 
resembled  him,  they  must,  indeed,  have  been  a flue  race  of  men, 
and,  undoubtedly,  capable  of  a very  high  degree  of  cultivation. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


DEPARTURE  FROM  SCHEPPMANSDORF CATTLE  REFRACTORY  AT  STARTING 

TINCAS ALWAYS  TRAVEL  BY  NIGHT RHINOCEROS  HUNT THE  AUTHOR 

IN  DANGER  OF  A SECOND  SUN-STROKE REASH  ONANIS A TRIBE  OF 


PEOPLE  SMOKE EFFECTS  OF  THE  WEED— TH 

REMARKABLE  PROPERTIES  OF  THIS  VE< 


After  only  three  weeks’  stay  at  Scheppmansclorf,  and 
though  our  oxen  were  but  partially  broken-in,  Hans  one  day 
informed  me  that  we  might  set  out  in  safety.  Accordingly, 
the  final  arrangements  were  hastily  completed ; and,  on  the 
13th  of  November,  I once  more  bade  farewell  to  the  place, 
and  its  kind,  obliging,  and  hospitable  inhabitants. 

At  first  starting,  and  whilst  the  sand  was  very  deep  and 
yielding,  the  oxen  caused  us  much  trouble  ; but  when  we  were 
on  the  hard  and  firm  Naarip,  all  went  well,  and  we  arrived  at 
the  Usab  gorge,  where  we  encamped,  without  further  incon- 
venience, than  passing  a cold  and  sleepless  night. 

The  next  evening  we  resumed  our  journey  ; but,  instead  of 
following  the  course  of  the  Swakop — which,  with  our  young  jl 
oxen  and  heavy  wagons,  would  have  been  next  to  impossible — 
it  was  deemed  advisable  that  we  should  still  continue  on 
the  Naarip— -where,  though  water  was  scarce,  the  road  was 
hard  and  good.  Tineas  Mountain,  which,  on  our  former 
journey,  was  to  the  right,  was  now,  of  course,  to  our  left.  After 
about  fourteen  hours’  fatiguing  travel,  we  reached  the  smaP 

O o 


FOWL  : THE  BEST  MANNER  OF  SHOOTING 

GIRAFFES TJOBIS  FOUNTAIN  AGAIN ATTACKED  BY  LIONS PROVIDEN- 
TIAL ESCAPE ARRIVAL  AT  RICIITERFELDT. 


HILL-DAMARAS  SETTLED  THERE SINGULAR 


TINCAS RHINOCEROS  HUNT. 


•57 

river,  Tineas,  where  we  unyoked,  and  rested  ourselves 
and  the  weary  oxen  until  nightfall,  when  we  were  again  en 
route. 

As  we  had  now  adopted  the  plan  of  traveling  during  the 
night,  so  as  not  to  distress  the  animals  too  much,  we  found  it 
necessary  to  keep  a sharp  look-out,  both  on  account  of  the 
wild  beasts,  and  for  fear  of  losing  our  way.  The  latter  was 
particularly  to  be  guarded  against;  for,  in  this  land  of  droughty 
any  considerable  deviation  from  the  regular  track  is.  not  un fre- 
quently followed  by  serious  consequences.  Hans  and  myself 
were  accustomed  to  keep  watch  by  turns,  for  we  never  dared 
trust  to  the  men  ; but  this  night,  owing  to  our  previous  fatigue, 
we  both  unfortunately  fell  asleep. 

When  I awoke,  I found  that  we  were  far  out  of  our  proper 
course,  and  all  the  men  were  snoring  in  the  wagons.  However, 
as  it  was  starlight,  and  the  landmarks  very  conspicuous,  we 
had  not  much  difficulty  in  recovering  the  proper  track. 

Towards  break  of  day,  we  unyoked  the  tired  oxen  in  the  bed 
of  a small  dry  water-course,  where  we  found  abundance  of 
excellent  grass.  The  unattached  cattle  did  not  join  us  till  late' 
in  the  afternoon,  as  the  men  in  charge  of  them  had  fallen  asleep. 
Their  negligence,  however,  was  excused  on  account  of  the  good 
news  they  brought.  It  appeared  that  soon  “after  it  was  light 
they  discovered  a huge  rhinoceros,  accompanied  by  a nearly 
full-grown  calf,  following  in  their  wake,  and  that  they  had  only 
lost  sight  of  the  beasts,  when  within  a short  distance  of  our 
bivouac. 

So  favorable  an  opportunity  was  too  tempting  to  let  slip. 
Having  hurriedly  partaken  of  some  breakfast,  and  provided 
ourselves  with  a small  supply  of  water,  I,  Hans,  and  an  attend- 
ant, started  in  pursuit  of  the  animals;  and  we  had  not  left  the 
camp  for  much  more  than  an  hour  when  we  fell  in  with  their 
“spoor.”  The  beasts  themselves,  however,  could  nowhere  be 
seen;  and  as  several  tracks  crossed  each  other  more  than  once 
(the  animals  having  probably  been  feeding  thereabouts),  Hans 
and  I took  different  directions  in  search  of  the  trail  we  were  to 
follow,  We  had  hardly  parted,  when  I heard  a tremendous 
crash  amongst  the  bushes ; and  about  a hundred  yards  in  ad- 
vance, I saw,  to  my  great  vexation,  the  two  rhinoceroses  going 
away  at  full  speed.  Notwithstanding  the  distance,  and  the 
unfavorable  position  of  the  beasts,  I fired  at  the  mother;  but, 
though  the  ball  apparently  took  effect,  she  in  no  wise  slackened 
her  pace. 

Hans  did  not  discharge  his  gun,  because,  as  he  said,  the  bushes 


i>8 


RHINOCEROS  HUNT. 


prevented  him  from  having  more  than  a very  indistinct  view  of 
the  beasts. 

When  I had  reloaded,  we  gave  chase ; and,  as  that  part  of 
the  plain  we  had  now  reached  was  totally  devoid  of  every  kind 
of  vegetation  that  could  obstruct  the  sight,  we  easily  kept  the 
animals  in  view.  By  degrees  they  slackened  their  speed  ; and, 
in  about  twenty  minutes,  abruptly  came  to  a stand-still,  curi- 
ously regarding  me  as,  having  (though  unobserved  by  myself) 
separated  from  Hans,  I rapidly  made  up  to  them.  When  within 
fifteen  to  twenty  paces,  I halted,  took  aim  at  the  mother,  and 
pu  led  the  trigger;  but,  to  my  great  annoyance,  my  gun  missed 
fire.  Whilst  in  the  very  act  of  discharging  my  second  barrel, 
she  wheeled  about,  and  the  ball,  instead  of  entering  her  heart, 
lodged  in  her  hind  quarters,  and  only  tended  to  quicken  her 
pace. 

In  the  heat  of  pursuit  I had  taken  no  notice  of  Hans  and  our 
attendant;  but  now  that  my  attention  was  no  longer  exclusively 
drawn  to  the  rhinoceros,  I looked  round  to  ascertain  why  they 
had  not  fired  as  well  as  myself,  when,  to  my  utter  astonishment, 
I saw  both  of  them  about  half-a-mile  in  the  back-ground,  stand- 
ing motionless  and  watching  my  proceedings.  On  their  rejoin- 
ing me,  and  in  the  first  burst  of  indignation,  I charged  them 
with  cowardice ; "but  Hans  immediately  drew  himself  up  to  his 
full  height,  and  indignantly,  but  respectfully,  replied  as  fol- 
lows : — 


“ Sir  ! when  you  have  had  my  experience,  you  will  never  call 
that  man  a coward  who  does  not  attack  a wounded  black  rhino- 
ceros on  an  open  and  naked  plain.  I would  rather,”  he  con- 
tinued, ‘‘face  fifty  lions  than  one  of  these  animals  in  such  an 
exposed  situation  ; for  not  one  in  a hundred  would  take  it  as 
quietly  as  this  has  done.  A wounded  black  rhinoceros  seldom 
waits  to  be  attacked,  but  charges  instantly;  and  there  would 


not  have  been  the  least  chance  of  saving  one’s  life  in  an  open 


place  like  this.  Had  there  been  but  the  smallest  bush  or  stone, 
I shouldn’t  have  hesitated  a moment,  for  the  sight  of  the  rhino- 
ceros is  bad,  and  if  there  is  the  least  cover  it  is  easy  to  avoid 
him.  Not  many  years  ago,  a great  Namaqua  chief,  who,  con- 
trary to  the  advice  of  his  friends,  had  fired  at  a rhinoceros  under 
precisely  similar  circumstances  to  yourself,  lost  his  life  by  his 
rashness.” 

I could  not  but  be  sensibly  aware  of  the  injustice  of  my  accu- 
sation, and  my  own  fool-hardiness;  yet  I then  felt  but  half  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  what  Hans  had  told  me,  and  should  cer- 
ainly  have  acted  in  the  like  imprudent  manner  (as  indeed  I did 


RHINOCEROS  HUNT. 


55 


on  many  subsequent  occasions)  had  another  opportunity  offered. 
But,  after  all,  Hans  was  perfectly  right;  as  I am  sure  every  one 
who  has  come  much  in  contact  with  the  beast  in  question  will 
readily  admit.  Indeed,  after  the  severe  lesson  which,  at  an  after 
period,  I received  from  a black  rhinoceros,  I am  free  to  confess 
that  nothing  in  the  world  would  ever  again  induce  me  willfully 
to  expose  myself  in  the  way  just  mentioned. 

To  proceed.  After  receiving  my  fire,  both  mother  and  calf 
galloped  off  as  fast  as  their  legs  would  carry  them  ; but  gradu- 
ally they  slackened  their  pace  to  a canter,  then  to  a trot,  and 
finally  to  a walk.  By  this  time,  however,  they  were  so  far 
away  that,  but  for  the  certain  knowledge  of  their  identity,  we 
might  readily  have  taken  them  for  stocks  or  stones.  The  indis- 
tinctness of  objects,  moreover,  even  at  a moderate  distance,  was 
increased  by  the  effects  of  a most  perplexing  mirage. 

Whilst  discussing  the  propriety  of  following  up  the  rhinoce- 
roses, we  saw  them  make  for  an  isolated  tree — no  doubt,  with 
the  intention  of  sheltering  themselves  from  the  scorching  rays 
of  the  sun.  This  decided  us  on  continuing  the  chase;  and, 
although  already  suffering  greatly  from  thirst  (our  small  supply 
of  water  having  been  long  exhausted),  the  hope  of  ultimate  suc- 
cess gave  us  strength  to  proceed. 

Approaching  under  cover  of  some  stunted  bushes,  and  when 
almost  certain  of  closing  with  the  beasts,  and  putting  an  end  to 
one  or  both,  I was  startled  by  the  report  of  guns  close  behind 
me;  and,  on  turning  round,  I found  that  Hans  and  our  man  had 
fired.  I never  felt  more  vexed  in  my  life;  for  we  were  still  a 
good  hundred  yards  from  the  animals,  and  it  had  been  previously 
agreed  that — unless  the  beasts  knew  of  our  presence — we  were 
not  to  fire  until  within  a very  short  distance  of  them.  As,  how- 
ever, the  evil  could  not  be  remedied,  I lost  no  time  in  firing  ; 
but  the  brutes  being  fully  one  hundred  and  fifty  paces  from  me, 
I had  small  hope  of  inflicting  serious  injury.  That  I hit  the 
mother,  however,  was  very  certain  ; for,  at  the  instant  of  dis- 
charging my  gun,  she  bounded  like  a cat  into  the  air;  and  Hans, 
who  looked  upon  this  as  a sure  sign  of  her  being  mortally 
wounded,  exclaimed,  “Aha,  old  girl,  you  are  safe!”  Annoyed 
as  I was,  I could  not  help  smiling,  and  ironically  replied — “ Tc 
be  sure,  she  is  safe  enough.”  And  so  it  proved ; for  we  never 
saw  her  or  her  calf  again. 

I felt  disappointed  at  our  failure,  and  the  chance  of  a feast; 
and  was,  moreover,  sorry  for  the  poor  rhinoceros ; for,  though 
she  was  lost  to  us,  I felt  certain  it  was  only  to  die  a lingering 
death  at  a distance.  From  experience,  indeed,  I should  say  that 


by)  IN  DaNSER  of  a second  sun-stroke. 

;i  similar  fate  awaits  a large  portion  of  birds  and  animals,  that 
esmipe  ns  after  being  badly  wounded. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances,  I would  certainly  have  con- 
tinued the  pursuit;  but  this  was  now  impossible.  We  could 
not  reach  our  encampment  under  many  hours,  and  we  suffered 
painfully  from  thirst ; while,  owing  to  severe  and  continued  ex- 
ertions under  a burning  sun,  I was  attacked  by  torturing  head- 
ache. Long  before  we  could  reach  the  wagons,  I experienced 
precisely  the  same  feelings  as  when  I received  a sun- stroke. 
Knowing  that  a renewal  of  the  same  infliction  would  in  all 
probability  prove  fatal,  I still  toiled  on  ; yet,  at  last,  the  faint- 
ness and  exhaustion  became  so  overpowering,  that,  regardless 
of  danger,  I threw  myself  on  a small  flat  rock — so  heated  by 
the  sun,  that  I was  unable  to  hold  my  hand  on  it  for  a moment ; 
and  even  the  limbs  protected  by  my  dress  were  almost  blistered. 

1 then  urged  Hans  to  proceed  as  quickly  as  possible,  in  order 
that,  if  he  found  I did  not  immediately  follow,  he  might  send 
me  some  water. 

Hans  had  not  long  been  gone,  however,  when  the  rock  became 
so  intolerably  hot  that,  stupefied  as  I was,  I found  it  necessary 
to  rise  from  it;  when,  with  a faltering  step,  and  in  a state  of 
almost  total  unconsciousness,  I made  for  the  wagons,  which  I 
reached  in  safety,  just  as  Hans  was  about  to  dispatch  a man  to  me  j 
with  an  ample  supply  of  water.  My  apprehensions,  however, 
had  been  vain.  A few  hours’ rest  and  quiet  gradually  restored  me. 

The  oppressive  heat  under  which  I had  suffered  so  severely,  |j 
had  also  made  the  cattle  very  thirsty,  and  they  refused  to  eat  the 
dry  and  sun-burnt  grass.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  air  became  |j 
a little  cooler,  we  pushed  on  to  Onanis,  where  we  arrived  some- 
what  late  in  the  evening.  Notwithstanding  the  darkness,  and  the 
risk  of  being  attacked  by  lions  which  sometimes  swarm  here,  we  1 
were  obliged  to  supply  our  cattle  with  water;  and,  as  we  had  to 
dig  for  it  in  the  bed  of  a small  periodical  stream  hard  by,  it  was  :! 
close  on  midnight  before  we  could  think  of  refreshment  or  sleep. 

Onanis  is  the  permanent  residence  of  a kraal  of  very  poor 
Iiill-Damaras,1  who  subsist  chiefly  upon  the  few  wild  roots 
which  their  sterile  neighborhood  produces.  Most  of  them, 
however,  manage  to  raise  a little  tobacco,  for  which  they  have 

1 The  proper  name  of  these  people  is  Haukoin,  which  literally  means  “ real  men.”  ! 
By  the  Namaquas  they  are  styled  Ghou-Damop  or  Daman — a term  not  snfficiently 
decorous  for  translation.  The  name  Hill-Damaras  is  that  by  which  they  are  best 
known,  and  being  really  very  appropriate  to  their  habits  and  mode  of  living,  I , 
.shall  retain  it  throughout  the  course  of  this  narrative. 


HOW  THE  HIU-DAMARAS  SMOKE. 


61 


a perfect  mania,  and  which,  moreover,  they  value  nearly  a. 
much  as  the  necessaries  of  life. 

They  also  cultivate  “dacha,”  or  hemp,  not,  as  with  us,  for 
its  fibre,  but  for  the  sake  of  the  young  leaves  and  seeds,  which 
they  use  as  a substitute  for  tobacco,  and  which  is  of  the  most 
intoxicating  and  injurious  character.  It  not  unfrequently  hap- 
pens, indeed,  that  those  who  indulge  too  freely  in  the  use  of 
this  plant,  are  affected  by  disease  of  the  brain. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Hill-Damaras  smoke,  is  widely 
different  either  from  Hindu,  Mussulman,  or  Christian.  Instead 
of  simply  inhaling  the  smoke,  and  then  immediately  letting  it 
escape,  either  by  the  mouth  or  nostril,  they  swallow  it  deliberately 
The  process  is  too  singular  to  be  passed  over  without  notice. 


A small  quantity  of  water  is  put  into  a large  horn — usually 
of  a koodoo — three  or  four  feet  long.  A short  clay  pipe, 
filled  either  with  tobacco  or  “ dacka,”  is  then  introduced,  and 
fixed  vertically  into  the  side  near  the  extremity  of  the  narrow 
end,  communicating  with  the  interior  by  means  of  a small  aper- 
ture. This  being  do6ert heTp a r ty  present  place  themselves  in 
a circle,  observing  deep  silence;  and,  with  open  mouths,  and 
eyes  glistening  with  delight,  they  anxiously  abide  their  turn. 
The  chief  man  usually  has  the  honor  of  enjoying  the  first  pull 
at  the  pipe.  From  the  moment  that  the  orifice  of  the  horn  is 
applied  to  his  lips,  he  seems  to  lose  all  consciousness  of  every- 
thing around  him,  and  becomes  entirely  absorbed  in  the  enjoy- 
ment. As  little  or  no  smoke  escapes  from  his  mouth,  the  effect 
is  soon  sufficiently  apparent.  His  features  become  contorted, 
his  eyes  glassy  and  vacant,  his  mouth  covered  with  froth,  his 
whole  body  convulsed,  and,  in  a few  seconds,  he  is  prostrate  on 
the  ground.  A little  water  is  then  thrown  over  his  body,  pro- 
ceeding, not  unfrequently,  from  the  mouth  of  a friend  ; his  hair 
is  violently  pulled,  or  his  head  unceremoniously  thumped  with 
the  hand.  These  somewhat  disagreeable  applications  usually 
have  the  effect  of  restoring  him  to  himself  in  a few  minutes. 
Cases,  however,  have  been  known  where  people  have  died  on  the 
spot,  from  overcharging  their  stomachs  with  the  poisonous  fumes 


62 


THE  EUPHORBIA  C A \ D T L A B R U M . 


The  Ovaherero  use  tobacco  in  a similar  manner  as  just  de< 
scribed,  with  this  difference  only — that  they  inhale  the  smoke 
simply  through  short  clay  pipes  without  us-ing  water  to  cool  it, 
which,  of  course,  makes  it  all  the  more  dangerous. 

The  first  time  we  were  present  at  a smoking  bout  we  were 
disgusted  and  frightened  ; but  from  its  being  of  every-day  oc- 
currence, we  at  length  became  somewhat  reconciled  to  it  — as 
also  to  many  other  unpleasant  sights  aud  customs. 

Instead  of  the  naked  and  barren  Naarip,  the  country  had  now 
begun  to  assume  a more  pleasing  appearance;  for,  though  every- 
thing looked  dry  and  parched  at  this  season,  there  was  no-want 
of  vegetation.  Besides  a variety  of  shrubs  and  stunted  bushes, 
the  periodical  water-courses  were  marked  by  the  handsome 
black-stemmed  mimosa,  and  other  species  of  the  acacia  family. 
The  hillsides,  also,  were  in  many  places  covered  with  the 
graceful,  but  poisonous  euphorbia  candelabrum. 

The  Ovaherero  tip  their  arrows  with  this  vegetable  poison ; 
and  the  Hill-Damaras  introduce  it  in  a liquid  state  into  pools 
where  wild  beasts  are  known  to  drink  ; and  the  flesh  of  any 
animal  thus  destroyed  is  perfectly  wholesome.  But  its  most 
remarkable  property  is,  that  whilst  it  invariably  kills  the  white 
rhinoceros,  it  is  freely  and  harmlessly  partaken  of  by  the  black 
species,  whether  the  plant  itself  be  eaten,  or  a solution  of  it 
drunk.  The  juice  of  the  euphorbia  candelabrum  has  a milk-white 
appearance,  and  is  very  gummy,  with  an  acrid  taste. 

The  wild  bee  is  occasionally  known  to  extract  its  food  from 
the  flowers  and  the  juice  of  this  cactus.  In  such  a case  the  honey 
becomes  more  or  less  poisonous.  Mr.  Moffat  mentions  an  in-  i 
stance  of  his  party  suffering  much  pain  and  inconvenience  from 
having  partaken  of  such  honey.  They  felt  as  if  their  throats 
had  been  on  fire. 

In  seasons  when  rain  falls  abundantly,  Onanis  becomes  one  ! 
of  the  finest  grazing  localities  throughout  Namaqua-land,  and  i-s 
capable  of  sustaining  many  hundred  head  of  cattle  for  several 
months  together.  The  hills  then  afford  a variety  of  shrubs  and 
hushes,  of  which  goats  and  sheep  are  fond.  The  surrounding 
plains  are  covered  with  fine  grass,  and  a species  of  yellow 
flower,  much  relished  by  the  cattle. 

This  district  used  to  be  one  of  Hans’  favorite  camping  places  ; 
for,  besides  the  abundant  and  excellent  pasture  grounds,  it  was 
largely  resorted  to  by  game  of  all  kinds,  and  is  still  frequented 
by  the  lion,  the  gemsbok,  the  giraffe,  the  zebra,  the  gnoo,  the 
rhinoceros,  and  several  other  animals. 

We  were  to  have  resumed  our  journey  on  the  following 


GtriKE  A F O W L T HOOP  OF  GIRAFFES. 


G3 


night ; but,  in  the  interval,  Hans’  right  hand  and  arm  had  sud- 
denly, and  from  some  unknown  cause,  swelled  in  a most  alarm- 
ing manner.  In  consequence  of  this  mishap,  we  found  it  neces- 
sary to  devote  another  day  to  rest. 

On  the  evening  of  our  arrival  at  Onanis,  we  had  started  an 
immense  number  of  guinea-fowls  near  the  water;  and,  thinking 
it  a favorable  opportunity  to  replenish  our  exhausted  larder,  I 
slung  a double-barreled  gun  across  my  shoulder,  and  immedi- 
ately started  off;  but,  though  I soon  found  the  birds,  they  were 
so  wild  that  for  a long  time  I could  not  get  within  range  cf 
them.  At  last,  after  having  chased  them  about  the  rocks  till  I 
was  nearly  tired,  they  scattered  themselves  amongst  the  stones, 
and  lay  so  close,  that,  unless  I almost  trod  upon  them,  they 
would  not  rise.  With  a steady  pointer,  I believe  the  whole 
flock  might  easily  have  been  killed,  and,  as  it  was,  I made  a 
very  large  bag. 

The  flesh  of  the  wild  guinea-fowl  — that  of  the  young  at 
least  — is  tender  and  well-flavored  ; and  their  eggs  are  excellent. 
The  speed  of  this  bird  is  almost  incredible.  On  even  ground  a 
man  is  no  match  for  it.  Where  the  country  is  well  wooded,  the 
best  plan  to  shoot  them  is  with  a “ cocker,”  or  other  dog,  that 
challenges  freely  to  them  when  “treed;”  for  whilst  the  birds 
are  intently  watching  his  movements,  they  may  easily  be  ap- 
proached within  gun-shot.  With  a small  pea-rifle  this  sore  of 
sport  is  particularly  amusing. 

Early  on  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  Hans  having  now 
partially  recovered,  we  started  from  Onanis  ; and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a short  stoppage,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  some 
coffee,  and  to  allow  the  cattle  to  take  a few  mouthfuls  of  grass, 
we  traveled  throughout  the  whole  night. 

Soon  after  daylight,  we  discovered  a numerous  troop  of  giraf- 
fes. The  country,  however,  was  open,  and  unfavorable  for 
stalking;  and,  before  we  could  get  within  range,  they  were  off'. 
The  speed  of  these  animals  is  by  no  means  inconsiderable,  more 
especially  on  gently-rising  ground.  In  such  a locality,  and 
from  their  being  very  long-winded,  a tolerably  swift  horse  is 
seldom  able  to  overtake  them  under  less  than  two  or  three 
miles.  It  is  one  of  the  most  curious  sights  imaginable  to  see  a 
troop  of  these  animals  at  full  speed,  balancing  themselves  to 
and  fro  in  a manner  not  easily  described,  and  whisking,  at  regu 
iar  intervals,  from  side  to  side,  their  tails,  tufted  at  the  end, 
while  their  long  and  tapering  necks,  swaying  backwards  and 
forwards,  follow"  the  motion  of  their  bodies. 

On  account  of  the  many  short  turns,  the  hilly  nature  of  the 


64 


ATT  A C IC  K T>  RV  LIONS. 


ground  in  places,  and  the  unusual  length  of  the  wagons,  we 
anticipated  considerable  difficulty  in  the  course  of  this  stage. 
But  we  got  safely  through  it  without  accident  of  any  kind,  and 
arrived  at  Tjobis  Fountain  about  nine  o’clock. 

We  left  this  place  the  evening  of  the  same  day  ; and,  with 
the  exception  of  resting  for  an  hour  or  two  by  the  way,  we 
pushed  on  throughout  the  night. 

At  daybreak,  and  just  as  we  reached  the  Swakop,  we  were 
suddenly  startled  by  the  most  tremendous  roaring  of  lions, 
which,  evidently,  were  close  at  hand.  In  a few  moments  after- 
wards, two  of  those  magnificent  beasts — male  and  female- 
emerged  frogi  the  bushes  at  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  paces 
a-head  of  us.  On  perceiving  the  cavalcade,  they  gave  another 
terrific  roar,  of  so  angry  a nature  as  to  cause  the  greatest  con- 
sternation amongst  the  cattle.  Those  attached  to  the  foremost 
wagon,  wheeled  round  instantaneously;  and,  before  it  was  pos- 
sible to  prevent  them,  ran  right  into  the  midst  of  the  aftermost 
team,  and  I expected  every  moment  to  see  the  vehicles  capsized 
or  smashed  to  atoms. 

What  with  the  bellowing  of  the  oxen,  the  shouting  and 
screaming  of  the  men,  the  smashing  and  breaking  of  yokes,  etc., 
and  the  continued  roar  of  the  lions,  the  scene  was  such  as  to 
baffle  all  description. 

The  lion,  himself,  after  having  approached  very  near  to  us, 
again  retreated  into  the  bushes;  but  the  lioness  seated  herself 
quietly  within  less  than  a hundred  yards  of  the  wagons,  growl- 
ing most. furiously.  Throwing  the  rein's  over  the  saddle  of 
“ Spring,”  who,  by-the-by,  had  nearly  unseated  me  on  the  first 
appearance  of  the  lions,  I sprang  to  the  ground,  and  seizing  a 
double-barreled  gun,  which  I always  kept  loaded  for  emergen- 
cies, I made  towards  the  beast,  intending  to  punish  her  for  her 
audacity,  when  Hans  imploringly  begged  me  to  desist.  “For,” 
said  he.  “if  you  do  not  shoot  her  dead  on  the  spot,  she  will  be 
down  upon  us  in  an  instant.” 

Allowing  myself  to  be  guided  by  his  advice,  I refrained  from 
firing,  but,  nevertheless,  took  up- my  position  within  about  fifty 
paces  of,  and  opposite  to,  the  lioness,  as  well  to  draw  off  her 
attention  from  the  men,  and  thus  enable  them  to  put  the  cattle 
and  vehicles  to  rights,  as  to  be  in  readiness  to  give  her  a warm 
reception,  should  she  think  proper  to  charge. 

A short  time  before  we  were  thus  unceremoniously  attacked, 
one  of  the  draught  oxen,  which  had  always  been  very  wild, 
managed  to  escape  from  the  yoke,  and  a fleet-footed  Damara 
was  left  behind  to  bring  him  on.  In  the  midst  of  our  confu- 


ARR  VAL  AT  RiCHTERFELDT. 


65 


non,  we  heard  cries  of  distress  and  loud  shouting  behind  us  ; 
and,  on  looking  round,  we  saw  to  our  horror,  the  lion  in  full  chase 
as  well  of  the  refractory  ox  as  the  man,  who  was  trying  to  keep 
off  his  fierce  pursuer  by  violently  waving  the  fire-brand  which 
he  carried  in  his  hand.1  Telling  Hans  to  mind  the  lioness  as 
well  as  lie  could  in  my  absence,  I immediately  ran  to  the  rescue 
of  the  Dumara  and  his  charge  ; but,  before  I had  proceeded  far, 
the  ox,  catching  sight  of  the  remainder  of  the  herd,  made  a suc- 
cessful dash  right  across  the  lion’s  path,  and,  fortunately,  re- 
joined us  in  safety.  The  object  of  the  lion  was  clearly  more 
the  beast  than  the  man  ; for,  upon  finding  himself  thus  sud- 
denly baffled,  he  stopped  short,  and,  with  a savage  look  at  us, 
and  an  angry  growl,  bounded  out  of  sight  as  quick  as  thought ; 
and,  by  the  time  I returned  to  the  wagons,  the  lioness  had 
thought  fit  to  follow  her  lord’s  example.  Thus,  almost  with- 
out any  effort  on  our  side,  we  were  providentially  saved  from 
this  most  extraordinary  and  dangerous  attack. 

At  the  first  appearance  of  the  lions,  the  men  took  refuge  in 
the  wagons,  and,  long  after  the  danger  was  over,  they  trembled 
violently  from  fear  and  apprehension. 

As  a general  rule,  a lion,  unless  previously  molested,  will 
seldom  attack  an  ox  in  the  yoke,  or  when  attended  by  man,  but 
long  abstinence  makes  him  desperate. 

After  considerable  trouble  and  difficulty,  we  succeeded  in 
rearranging  the  oxen,  which  had  become  excessively  scared. 
Two  or  three  hours’  further  traveling  brought  us,  without  other 
mishap,  safe  to  Richterfeldt,  where  our  hair-breadth  escape  was 
listened  to  with  the  deepest  interest. 

We  had  left  Scheppmansdorf- — as  said — in  the  afternoon  of 
the  13th  of  November,  and  reached  our  present  quarters  early 
on  the  morning  of  the  22nd  of  the  same  month.  The  whole 
of  the  distance,  by  road,  could  not  have  been  much  less  than 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles.  Having  performed  this  in  five 
stages,  and  in  about  the  same  number  of  days,  our  rate  of  trav- 
eling, at  an  average,  had  been  twenty-five  miles  daily.  Taking 
into  consideration  the  nature  of  the  ground,  the  young  and 
half-broken  oxen,  etc.,  it  may  fairly  be  considered  first-rate 
speed  ; and  our  efforts  were  loudly  praised  by  every  one. 

1 In  the  nights,  the  Damaras  invariably  carry  a fire-brand,  which  they  hold 
close  to  their  bodies,  in  order  to  shelter  themselves  in  some  degree,  from  the 
wind  and  cold. 


5 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A nEARTY  WELCOME WE  REMOVE  THE  ENCAMPMENT AN  APPARITION 

AUDACITY  OF  WILD  BEASTS DEPRIVING  LIONS  OF  THEIR  PREY EXCES- 
SIVE HEAT SINGULAR  EFFECTS  OF  GREAT  HEAT DEPART  FOR  BAR- 
MEN  MEET  A TROOP  OF  ZEBRAS THEIR  FLESH  NOT  EQUAL  TO  VENI- 
SON  THE  MISSIONARY’S  WAIL A SAD  CATASTROPHE THE  “ KAMEEL- 

DOORN” BUXTON  FOUNTAIN THE  SCORPION ARRIVAL  AT  BARMEN. 

Immediately  on  our  arrival  at  Richterfeldt,  we  were  sur- 
rounded by  scores  of  natives,  who,  with  yells,  vociferations, 
(dapping  of  hands,  grotesque  dances,  and  so  forth,  testified 
their  joy  at  our  return.  Mr.  Rath,  moreover,  highly  compli- 
mented us  on  the  dispatch  with  which  we  had  broken-in  the 
oxen,  and  performed  the  journey. 

Mr.  Galton,  I ascertained,  had  lately  departed  for  Barmen, 
Mr.  Hahn’s  station.  I determined  to  follow  him  as  soon  as  I 
had  taken  sufficient  rest  after  my  fatiguing  journey.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  wagons  were  to  remain  at  Richterfeldt  till  our 
return  to  that  place. 

At  first,  we  pitched  our  camp  in  the  same  spot  we  had 
occupied  previously  t-o  our  departure  for  Scheppmansdorf ; but 
the  high  palisades  that  protected  it  had  been  destroyed  in  our 
absence  by  the  natives,  who  had  carried  away  the  wood  for 
fuel.  This,  however,  was  of  little  consequence,  as  the  old 
inclosure  would  now  have  been  too  small  to  contain  both  the 
cattle  and  our  cumbersome  conveyances.  Moreover,  as  the 
place  was  situated  in  the  bed  of  a periodical  stream — a tribu- 
tary of  the  Swakop — and,  as  the  rainy  season  was  fast 
approaching,  it  would  have  been  imprudent  to  remain  here 
any  length  of  time.  Accordingly,  we  brought  our  wagons, 


AN  APPARITION. 


6? 


etc.,  to  Hans’  own  kraal,  which  was  near  at  hand  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  as  there  we  should  be  perfectly  secure  in  case  of 
any  sudden  inundation. 

The  day  before  our  removal,  the  men  had  asked  and  obtain- 
ed permission  to  spend  the  evening  with  Hans  at  his  encamp- 
ment. Even  the  dogs  had  absented  themselves,  and  I was  thus 
left  altogether  alone.  The  night,  though  somewhat  warm,  was 
delightfully  bright  and  still.  To  enjoy  the  beautiful  weather, 
I had  taken  my  bedding  out  of  the  wagon,  and  placed  it  on 
the  ground  alongside  the  wheels,  facing  a small  clump  of  low 
tamarisk  trees,  distant  not  above  twenty  paces.  Being  a bad 
sleeper,  I lay  awake  until  a very  late  hour.  All  nature  was 
hushed  and  silent,  and  the  night  so  calm  that  I might  have 
heard  the  falling  of  a leaf.  Suddenly,  my  attention  was  drawn 
to  the  tamarisk  grove,  whence  proceeded  a low,  rustling  noise, 
like  that  of  some  animal  cautiously  making  its  way  through  it. 
Thinking  it  probable  that  a hyaena  or  a jackal  was  about  to 
pay  me  a visit,  I sat  up  in  my  bed,  and  seizing  my  gun,  which 
I invariably  kept  within  reach,  I prepared  to  give  the  intruder 
a warm  reception.  Imagine  my  surprise,  however,  when,  in- 
stead of  one  or  other  of  these  skulking  animals,  a stately  lion 
stood  suddenly  before  me  ! In  an  instant  my  gun  was  pointed 
at  his  breast,  but,  hoping  he  would  presently  turn  his  broadside 
towards  me,  which  would  have  given  me  a much  better  chance 
of  destroying  him,  I refrained  from  firing.  In  this  expectation, 
however,  I was  disappointed  ; for,  on  perceiving  the  wagons, 
he  retreated  a step  or  two,  and,  uttering  a low  growl,  vanished 
the  next  moment  amongst  the  bushes. 

There  is  something  so  grand  and  imposing  in  the  appearance 
of  the  king  of  beasts  in  his  native  wilds — more  especially  when 
he  assumes  an  attitude  of  surprise  or  defiance — that  it  is  impos- 
sible not  to  feel  more  or  less  awed  in  his  presence. 

On  mentioning  to  Mr.  Rath,  the  following  morning,  my  ad- 
venture of  the  preceding  night,  he  expressed  no  kind  of  sur- 
prise ; for  the  tamarisk  grove  in  question  was  often  known,  he 
said,  to  harbor  lions  and  other  beasts  of  prey.  He  added,  more- 
over, that  lions  not  unfrequently  penetrated  thence  into  his 
garden,  and  even  approached  within  a few  paces  of  the  dwell- 
ing-house itself. 

Returning  somewhat  late  one  very  dark  night  from  Mr. 
Rath’s  house  to  our  encampment,  I was  suddenly  startled  by 
sounds  of  the  most  painful  description,  not  unlike  the  stifled 
groamngs  of  a person  who  is  on  the  point  of  drowning.  It  at 
once  struck  me  that  the  lions  had  surprised  some  unfortunate 


68 


AUDACITY  OF  LIONS. 


native  whilst  lying  in  ambush  near  the  water  for  wild  animals 
that  came  there  to  drink.  Whilst  listening  in  anxious  suspense 
to  the  wailings  in  question — which  gradually  became  more  and 
more  faint — there  reached  me  from  another  quarter  a confused 
sound  of  human  voices,  and  of  hurried  footsteps.  This  only 
tended  to  confirm  my  first  impression  ; but,  from  the  impene- 
trable darkness,  I could  not  ascertain  anything  with  certainty. 
Being  unable,  however,  to  endure  the  suspense  any  longer,  and 
regardless  of  the  danger  to  which  I exposed  myself,  I caught 
up  my  fowling-piece,  which  happened  to  be  loaded  with  ball, 
and  set  out  in  the  direction  whence  the  wailings — now  fast 
dying  away — proceeded. 

I had  not  gone  very  far,  however,  before  I fell  in  with  a 
number  of  the  natives,  who  were  hastening  in  the  same  direc- 
tion as  myself. 

My  road,  for  the  most  part,  lay  through  a dense  tamarisk 
coppice,  and  it  was  surprising  to  me  how  I ever  managed  to 
thread  the  labyrinth.  The  hope  of  saving  human  life,  however, 
enabled  me  to  overcome  all  obstacles.  I might  have  been 
three  or  four  minutes  in  the  brake,  when,  on  coming  to  a small 
opening,  I suddenly  encountered,  and  all  but  stumbled  over,  a |j 
large  black  mass  lying  at  my  feet  ; whilst,  close  to  my  ear,  I 
heard  the  twang  of  a bow-string,  and  the  whizzing  of  an  arrow. 
At  the  same  moment,  and  within  a very  few  paces  of  where  I : 
■stood,  I was  startled  by  the  terrific  roar  of  a lion,  which  seemed  j! 
to  shake  the  ground  beneath  me.  This  was  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  a savage  and  exulting  cry  of  triumph  from  a number  , 
of  the  natives. 

Having  recovered  from  my  surprise,  I found  that  the  dark  ; 
object  that  had  nearly  upset  me  was  one  of  the  natives  stoop-  j 
ing  over  a dead  zebra,  which  the  lion  had  just  killed,  and  then 
learnt,  for  the  first  time,  to  my  great  astonishment  as  well  as 
relief,  that  the  wailings  which  had  caused  me  so  much  uneasi-  f 
ness,  and  which  I imagined  were  those  of  a dying  man,  pro- 
ceeded from  this  poor  animal.1 

The  designs  of  the  natives,  who,  from  the  first,  I take  it, 
well  knew  what  they  were  about,  was  simply  to  possess  them- 
selves of  the  zebra,  in  which  they  had  fully  succeeded.  Whilst 
some  busied  themselves  in  lighting  a fire,  the  rest  joined  in  a 

1 I have  since  had  frequent  opportunities  of  hearing  ths  dying  groans  of  the 
$ebra,  which  in  reality  greatly  resemble  the  faint  gasps  and  ejaculations  of  a 
drowning  man.  Even  the  subdued  ueighiugs  of  this  animal,  when  heard  from  a I 
'distance,  are  of  a very  melancholy  nature.  J 


DEPRIVING-  THE  LION  OF  HIS  PREY. 


69 


Bort  of  war-dance  round  the  carcass,  accompanied  by  the  most 
wild  and  fantastic  gestures,  totally  disregarding  the  proximity 
of  the  lion,  who  had.  only  retreated  a few  paces.  As  the  fire 
oegan  to  blaze,  indeed,  we  could  distinctly  see  him  pacing  to 
and  fro  amongst  the  bushes  on  the  edge  of  the  river’s  bank. 

He,  moreover,  forcibly  reminded  us  of  his  presence  by  cruelly 
lacerating  a small  dog  belonging  to  one  of  the  party,  which 
had  incautiously  approached  him  too  closely.  By  a slight  touch 
of  his  murderous  paw  he  ripped  up  its  body  from  head  to  foot; 
but,  notwithstanding  its  entrails  dragged  on  the  ground,  the 
poor  creature  managed  to  crawl  to  our  fire,  where  it  breathed 
its  last  in  the  course  of  a few  seconds.  It  was  a most  touching 
sight  to  see  the  faithful  animal  wagging  its  tail  in  recognition 
of  its  master,  who  was  trying  to  replace  the  intestines,  and  to 
stop  the  flow  of  blood. 

The  savage  features  of  the  natives,  which  received  an  un- 
naturally wild  character  as  the  glare  of  the  half-blazing  fire  fell 
full  upon  them;  the  dying  dog,  with  his  wild  master  stooping 
despondingly  over  him;  the  mutilated  carcass  of  the  zebra; 
and  the  presence  of  the  lion,  within  a few  paces  of  us,  pre- 
sented one  of  the  most  striking  scenes  it  was  ever  my  fortune 
to  witness. 

Expecting  every  moment  that  the  lion  would  make  a dash  at 
us,  I stood  prepared  to  receive  him.  More  than  once,  indeed, 
I leveled  my  gun  at  him,  and  was  on  the  point  of  pulling  the 
trigger;  but  being  now  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  charac- 
ter of  the  animal  to  know  that,  if  I did  not  shoot  him  on  the 
spot,  the  attempt  would  probably  prove  the  death-signal  to  one 
or  other  of  us,  I refrained  from  firing. 

Contrary  to  my  expectation,  however,  he  allowed  us  to  cut 
up  and  to  carry  away  the  entire  zebra  without  molesting  us  in 
any  way.  During  the  process,  the  natives  occasionally  hurled 
huge  burning  brands  at  the  beast;1  but  these,  instead  of 
driving  him  to  a distance,  had  only  the  effect  of  making  him 
the  more  savage. 

Similar  attempts  to  deprive  the  lion  of  his  prey  are  of  fre- 
quent occurrence  in  the  interior  of  Africa.  Indeed,  it  is  nc  an- 
usual  tiling  to  find  a number  of  natives  residing  near  such  p«.-ols 
of  water  as  are  frequented  by  antelopes,  other  wild  animals, 
and  their  constant  attendant,  the  lion,  subsisting  almost  alto- 

1 I have  been  told  that  on  a similar  occasion  to  the  present,  a lion  was  so  in- 
jured by  the  flaming  missiles  thrown  at  him,  that  he  was  found  shortly  afterwards 
dead  of  his  wounds. 


70 


EXCESSIVE  HE  AT  . 


gether  in  this  way,  or  on  carcasses  which  the  lion  has  not  nad 
time  to  devour  before  the  return  of  day,  when  it  is  his  habit  to 
retire  to  his  lair. 

But  it  is  not  always  that  the  attempt  to  deprive  the  lion  of 
his  prey  succeeds  as  well  as  in  the  instance  just  mentioned. 
Generally  speaking,  indeed,  if  he  be  famishing  with  hunger,  he 
turns  upon  his  assailants,  and  many  a man  has  thus  lost  his  life. 
One  often  meets  with  individuals,  either  mutilated,  or  bearing 
dreadful  scars,  the  result  of  wounds  received  in  such  encoun- 
ters. 

The  heat  had  by  this  time  become  almost  insupportable,  and 
it  was  only  with  great  inconvenience  that  a person  could  move 
about  after  the  sun  was  a few  hours  above  the  horizon.  Even 
the  cattle  were  dreadfully  distressed.  As  early  as  eight  o’clock 
in  the  morning  they  would  leave  off  grazing,  in  order  to  seek 
shelter  under  some  tree  or  bush  against  the  scorching  rays  of  ! 
the  sun. 

Every  afternoon  regularly  at  two  o’clock,  we  had  a strong 
breeze  from  the  westward.  Strange  to  say,  however,  this,  j 
though  coming  from  the  sea,  instead  of  cooling  the  atmosphere, 
only  tended  to  increase  its  oppressiveness.  We  experienced 
precisely  the  same  sensation  as  when  standing  before  the  mouth  '' 
of  a heated  oven.  The  quicksilver  rose  to  such  a height  as 
almost  to  make  us  doubt  our  own  eyes.  Even  at  Scheppmans- 
dorf — which  is  situated  less  than  twenty  miles,  as  the  crow 
Hies,  from  the  sea,  and  where  there  is  almost  always  a refreshing 
breeze; — the  thermometer,  at  noon,  in  an  airy  situation,  and  in  j, 
the  shade,  rises,  for  many  days  together,  to  110  degrees  of 
Fahrenheit ! 

In  consequence  of  the  fiery  state  of  the  atmosphere,  every 
article  of  horn  or  wood  shrank  and  contracted  most  surprisingly. 
Even  the  gun-stocks,  made  of  the  best  English  walnut,  lost  an 
eighth  of  an  inch  of  their  original  solidity.  The  ink  dried  in 
the  pen  almost  the  instant  it  left  the  stand.1 

1 Captain  Sturt,  who,  in  his  explorations  in  Australia,  seems  to  have  sxperi*  J 
enced  the  same  heat  in  even  a greater  degree,  says — 

“The  mean  of  the  thermometer  for  the  months  of  December,  January,  and  : 
February,  had  been  101,  104,  and  105  degrees  respectively,  in  the  shade.  Under 
ts  effects,  every  screw  in  our  boxes  had  been  drawn,  and  the  horn  handles  of  ; 
~ir  instruments,  as  well  as  our  combs,  were  split  into  tine  laminae.  The  lead 
dropped  out  of  our  pencils  and  our  signal  rockets  were  entirely  spoiled  ; our  hair, 
as  well  as  the  wool  on  the  sheep,  ceased  to  grow,  and  our  nails  had  become  brittle  ! 
as  glass.  The  flour  lost  more  than  eight  per  cent,  of  its  original  weight,  and  the  j 
other  provisions  in  still  greater  proportion.”  In  another  part  of  his  narrative,  this  ! 


TROOP  OF  ZEBRAS. 


71 


Our  wagons,  moreover,  which,  on  leaving  Scheppmansdorf, 
were  in  excellent  order,  were  now  quite  infirm.  The  spokes 
and  the  tires  became  loose  and  the  felloes  and  naves  exhibited 
large  gaps  and  fissures.  To  save  them,  however,  as  much  as 
possible,  we  set  about  making  a shed  of  reeds  and  rushes, 
strongly  bound  together  by  cords  and  light-wooden  sticks. 

As  soon  as  this  was  finished  I began  my  preparations  for 
visiting  Galton  at  Barmen  ; and,  as  Mr.  Schoncberg  was  also 
anxious  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Hahn,  his  intended 
colleague,  it  was  agreed  that  we  should  travel  together.  On 
the  day  appointed,  we  set  out  mounted  on  oxen,  and  accom- 
panied by  a Hottentot  as  guide  and  interpreter.  Besides  his 
native  tongue,  this  man  spoke  Dutch  and  Daraara  fluently.  One 
or  two  natives  were  also  engaged  to  drive,  and  to  assist  in 
packing  the  oxen. 

As  usual,  I rode  “ Spring,”  and  Mr.  Schoneberg  an  ox  lent 
to  him  by  Mr  Rath  ; but,  unfortunately,  the  latter  animal 
turned  very  vicious,  and  before  we  had  proceeded  many  hun- 
dred yards,  I saw  my  friend  pitched,  head  foremost,  into  the 
moist  bed  of  the  Swakop.  On  rising  from  his  uncomfortable 
berth , the  Rev.  gentleman  looked  very  blank  and  crest-fallen  ; 
and  nothing  could  again  induce  him  to  remount  the  brute. 
Being,  however,  anxious  to  prosecute  the  journey,  I made  him 
an  offer  of  my  own  ox,  which  was  gratefully  accepted. 

After  this  little  mishap,  all  went  on  well  for  a while.  Un- 
fortunately, however,  in  an  unguarded  moment,  I,  too,  was 
doomed  to  be  “un-oxed,”  to  the  great  delight  and  amusement 
of  my  companion.  Confiding  in  his  superior  skill  in  managing 
a refractory  ox,  our  guide  now  generously  exchanged  with  me. 
Notwithstanding  his  boasting,  he  was  as  unfortunate  as  our- 
selves ; for,  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour,  he  had  twice  bitten 
the  ’dust. 

Nothing  daunted,  however,  he  mounted  a third  time,  and 
ultimately  succeeded  in  convincing  the  animal  that  he  was 
determined  to  be  master. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  we  suddenly  came  upon  a troop  of 
zebras.  Quickly  dismounting  I took  a running  shot  at  them, 
as  they  were  disappearing  in  the  brushwood,  and  had  the  good 
fortune  to  bring  a fine  male  dead  to  the  ground.  Immediately 
“off-saddling,”  we  helped  ourselves  to  the  best  parts  of  the 

enterprising  explorer  mentions  the  quicksilver  once  to  have  risen  to  132  degrees 
in  the  shade,  the  thermometer  being  placed  in  the  fork  of  a tree,  five  feet  from 
the  ground  ! 


THE  MISSIONARY  S WAIL. 


meat  leaving  the  rest  to  one  of  our  Damaras,  who  thought 
a “twk-out”  of  flesh — as  Hans  would  have  called  it — prefer- 
able to  a wearisome  journey  to  Barmen. 

The  flesh  of  the  zebra,  or  “ wild  horse,”  as  the  Dutch  call 
it,  is  eatable,  but  by  no  means  good;  for,  besides  possessing  a 
very  strong  )dor  and  peculiar  flavor,  it  has  a very  oily  taste.  1 
With  plenty  of  pepper  and  salt,  however,  a steak  is  not  to  be 
despised  by  the  hungry  traveler. 

The  heat,  throughout  the  day,  had  been  terrific.  Before  the 
sun  had  well  disappeared  behind  the  mountains,  between  which  ? 
we  traveled,  Mi.  Schoneberg  was  completely  knocked  up,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  encamp  for  the  night.  Each  of  us  carried  a 
small  tin  water-can  ; but,  instead  of  having  it  filled,  as  I did,  with 
the  pure  liquid,  Mrs.  Rath  had  kindly,  but  unwisely,  provided 
her  friend  with  a mixture  of  water,  sugar,  and  cinnamon.  This, 
as  may  be  supposed,  only  served  to  increase  his  thirst. 

We  had  hardly  finished  removing  the  packs  and  saddles  from 
our  tired  steeds,  before  the  poor  missionary  threw  himself 
despondingly  on  the  ground,  exclaiming — “ Ah  ! Mr.  Andersson, 
if  we  were  to  tell  people  in  Europe  what  we  suffer  here,  none 
would  believ-e  us.”  I could  not  help  smiling  at  this  burst  of 
despair  ; for,  though  from  the  heat,  the  day  had  been  distressing 
enough,  we  had  by  no  means  suffered  either  from  want  of  water 
or  food.  Poor  Mr.  Schoneberg!  he  was  totally  unfit  for  the 
hardships  he  must  necessarily  encounter  in  the  African  deserts. 
Indeed,  not  many  weeks  afterwards,  he  all  but  perished  from  |! 
his  inability  to  endure  thirst  for  a short  period. 

The  next  morning  at  daybreak  we  were  again  in  the  saddle. 
Our  course  was  northerly,  and  a little  by  east;  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  road  lay  some  distance  from  the  Swakop,  which,  at 
one  point,  forced  its  way  through  a narrow,  picturesque  and 
bold  gorge. 

In  one  place  we  passed  at  the  foot  of  “ Scheppman’s  moun- 
tain,” so  called  from  a melancholy  event  which  occurred  here  a 
few  years  ago.  A missionary  named  Scheppman  had  made  the  i 
ascent  to  obtain  a view  of  the  surrounding  country;  but,  in  de- 
scending, the  cock  of  his  gun  was  caught  by  a bough,  and  the 
contents  were  lodged  in  one  of  his  legs.  After  having  suffered 
agonies  for  a few  days,  he  expired,  and  the  hill  has  ever  since 
gone  by  his  name. 

The  vegetation  was  more  rank  than  in  the  parts  we  had  pre- 
viously traversed.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  we  crossed  the 
dry  beds  of  several  large,  sandy,  and  periodical  streams,  which 
were  all  tributaries  to  the  Swakop.  The  country  near  these 


THE  XAMEEL-DOOK  N B UXTON  FOUNTAIN.  73 


stream  was  thickly  studded  with  splendid  forests  of  the  gigantic 
and  park-like  acacia,  known  to  the  Dutch  as  the  “ kameel- 
doorn,”  or  giraffe  thorn  (acacia  giraffes).  This  tree  derives  its 
name  from  its  constituting  the  favorite  and  principal  food  of 
the  beautiful  cameleopard.  On  account  of  its  immense  size  and 
peculiar  growth — having  the  foliage  disposed  from  the  top  down- 
wards in  umbrella-shaped  masses — it  is  a great  ornament  to  the 
country  ; but,  strange  to  say,  it  is  invariably  found  only  in  arid 
districts. 

The  “ kameel-doorn”  is  evidently  of  very  slow  growth,  and 
requires,  probably,  many  hundred  years  to  arrive  at  maturity. 
The  grain  is,  therefore,  very  close,  and  the  wood  is  so  heavy, 
that,  after  being  dried  for  years,  it  will  sink  when  thrown  into 
the  water.  Our  northern  oak  can  in  no  wise  be  compared  with 
it  as  regards  hardness  and  solidity.  The  grain  is,  however, 
rather  short,  and  the  wood  consequently  brittle.  Notwith 
standing  this  defect,  it  is  very  strong,  and  is  extensively  used 
for  building  purposes  and  implements  of  husbandry.  It  is, 
moreover,  almost  the  only  wood  strong  enough  for  the  axle-trees 
of  wagons.  Tools  of  the  best  materials,  however,  are  indispensa- 
ble in  working  it.  I have  seen  many  a well-tempered  axe  and 
adze  blunted  and  spoiled  when  brought  in  contact  with  it.  The 
outer  part  of  the  tree  is  of  a whitish  color;  but  the  heart  is 
reddish-brown,  not  unlike  mahogany,  and  capable  of  a high 
polish. 

It  is  in  the  branches  of  this  acacia,  mentioned  by  several 
South  African  travelers,  that  the  social  gross-beak  (loxia  socia ) 
chiefly  constructs  its  interesting  and  singular  nest. 

Through  the  stupidity  and  mismanagement  of  our  guide,  who 
apparently  knew  but  little  of  the  road,  we  missed  a watering- 
piace  where  we  were  to  have  halted,  and,  in  consequence,  suf- 
fered extremely  from  thirst.  Mr.  Schoneberg,  moreover,  had' 
been  very  unwell  during  the  day ; and,  when  we  arrived  at  the 
end  of  the  stage — which  was  not  until  seven  o’clock  at  night — 
he  was  even  more  fatigued  and  exhausted  than  on  the  preceding 
evening. 

We  bivouacked  by  the  side  of  “ Buxton  Fountain” — so  called 
in  honor  of  the  late  Sir  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton,  from  whom 
and  his  family,  if  I am  rightly  informed,  Mrs.  Hahn  had  experi- 
enced much  kindness.  It  is  a hot  spring  ; and  the  water,  which 
flows  out  of  a granite  rock,  is  nearly  of  a boiling  temperature 
and  has  a brackish  and  disagreeable  taste. 

The  soil,  moreover,  all  round  this  fountain,  is  impregnated 
with  saline  substances.  A considerable  number  of  wild  animals 


74 


SCORPIONS BAKMEN. 


congregate  here  nightly,  in  order  to  quench  their  thirst.  Lions, 
also,  are  at  times  numerous,  but,  on  this  occasion,  they  did  not 
molest  us. 

Having  partaken  of  some  supper,  I was  about  to  resign  my 
weary  limbs  to  repose,  when  suddenly  there  issued  from  a small 
hole,  close  to  my  head,  a swarm  of  scorpions.  Their  appear- 
ance brought  me  to  my  feet  in  an  instant;  for,  though  not  par- 
ticularly a nervous  man,  I am  free  to  confess  to  a great  horror 
of  all  crawling  things. 

During  the  hot  months,  these  animals  lie  dormant;  but,  on 
the  approach  of  the  rainy  season,  they  come  forth  in  great  num- 
bers. On  removing  stones,  decayed  pieces  of  wood,  etc.,  it  is 
necessary  to  be  very  cautious.  The  instant  the  scorpion  feels 
himself  in  contact  with  any  part  of  the  body  of  a man  or  beast, 
he  lifts  his  tail,  and,  with  his  horny  sting,  inflicts  a wound, 
which,  though  rarely  fatal,  is  still  of  a very  painful  nature.1 

Like  the  snake,  the  scorpion  is  fond  of  warmth  ; and  it  is  not 
uncommon,  on  awakening  in  the  morning,  to  find  one  or  two  of 
these  horrid  creatures  snugly  ensconced  in  the  folds  of  the 
blanket,  or  under  the  pillow.  On  one  occasion  I killed  a scor- 
pion, measuring  nearly  seven  and  a half  inches  in  length,  that 
had  thus  unceremoniously  introduced  itself  into  my  bed. 

The  following  morning,  our  guide  declared  it  to  be  only  a 
few  hours’  further  traveling  to  Barmen.  We,  therefore,  did  not 
hurry  our  departure,  but  took  ample  time  to  prepare,  and  to 
partake  of,  a substantial  breakfast — consisting  of  some  strong 
coffee,  and  steaks  of  zebra-flesh,  simply  prepared  on  the  hot  em- 
bers of  our  bivouac  fire. 

We  arrived  at  Barmen  just  as  the  family  were  sitting  down 
to  dinner,  and  Mr.  Hahn  kindly  invited  us  to  join  in  the  ample 
repast.  1 was  happy  to  find  Mr.  Dalton  in  the  enjoyment  of 
health  and  excellent  spirits;  and  he  seemed  delighted  at  our 
safe  and  speedy  return. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


BARMEN THUNDER-STORM  IN  THE  TROPICS A MAN  KILLED  BY  LIGHTNING 

WARM  SPRING MR.  HAHN  : HIS  MISSIONARY  LABOR ; SEED  SOWN  IN 

EXCEEDING  STONY  GROUND THE  LAKE  OMANBONDE MR.  GALTON’S  MIS- 
SION OF  PEACE THE  AUTHOR  MEETS  A LION  BY  THE  WAY  ; THE  BEAST 

BOLTS SINGULAR  CHASE  OF  A GNOO “ KILLING  TWO  BIRDS  WITH  ONE 

STONE” A LION  HUNT THE  AUTHOR  ESCAPES  DEATH  BY  A MIRACLE 

CONSEQUENCES  OF  SHOOTING  ON  A SUNDAY. 

At  a first  glance,  Barmen  Las  a rather  dreary  aspect.  Hans 
thought  it  resembled  many  of  the  most  desolate  parts  of  Ice- 
land; but  when  more  closely  examined,  it  is  found  to  be  by  no 
means  devoid  either  of  interest  or  beauty.  It  is  situated  about 
three-quarters  of  a mile  from  the  Swakop,  and  on  its  right 
bank.  Towards  the  west,  and  immediately  behind  the  station, 
rise  irregular  masses  of  low,  broken  rocks,  ending  abruptly  on 
one  side  in  a bluff,  about  one  thousand  feet  high.  The  whole 
are  covered  with  a profusion  of  shrubs,  and  several  species  of 
thorn-trees  of  the  genus  acacia,  which,  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  year,  assume  every  shade  of  green.  To  the  eastward,  it 
faces  the  Swakop,  the  course  of  which  is  conspicuously  marked 
by  the  handsome  black-stemmed  mimosa.  Beyond  this,  the 
view  is  limited  by  a noble  range  of  picturesque  mountains,  rising 
between  six  and  seven  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
These  receive  additional  interest  from  being  more  or  less  a con- 
tinuation of  those  mighty  chains  which  take  their  rise  a very  few 
miles  from  Cape-Town — thus  extending,  in  a direct  line,  about 
one  thousand  miles ! 

Within  a stone’s  throw  of  the  missionary-house,  a turbulent 
mountain-stream  winds  its  tortuous  course.  It  flows. 


76 


A THUNDER-STORM  TN  THE  TROPICS. 


only  during  heavy  rains,  when  its  great  fall  and  violence  prove 
very  destructive  to  the  native  gardens. 

About  two  years  from  the  period  of  which  I am  now  writing, 

I happened  to  be  on  a visit  to  Barmen,  on  which  occasion  I 
witnessed  one  of  those  extraordinary  phenomena  only  to  be  seen 
to  perfection  in  tropical  climes.  One  afternoon,  heavy  and 
threatening  clouds  suddenly  gathered  in  the  eastern  horizon  ; 
the  thunder  rolled  ominously  in  the  distance;  and  the  sky  was 
rent  by  vivid  lightnings.  Knowing,  from  long  experience,  its 
imports,  we  instantly  set  about  placing  everything  under  shel- 
ter that  could  be  injured  by  the  wet.  This  was  hardly  accom- 
plished, when  large,  heavy  drops  of  rain  began  to  descend,  and, 
in  a few  seconds,  the  sluice-gates  of  heaven  appeared  to  have 
opened.  The  storm  did  not  last  above  half-an-hour ; but  this 
short  time  was  sufficient  to  convert  the  whole  country  into  one 
sheet  of  water.  The  noise,  moreover,  caused  by  the  river  and 
a number  of  minor  mountain-streams,  as  they  rolled  down  their 
dark,  muddy  torrents  in  waves  rising  often  as  high  as  ten  feet, 
was  perfectly  deafening.  Gigantic  trees,  recently  uprooted, 
and  others  in  a state  of  decay,  were  carried  away  with  irresisti- 
ble fury,  and  tossed  about  on  the  foaming  billows  like  so  many 
straws.  Every  vestige  of  many  gardens  was  swept  away  ; and 
some  of  the  native  huts,  which  had  been  imprudently  erected 
too  close  to  the  river,  shared  a similar  fate.  Indeed,  it  must 
have  been  a miniature  deluge. 

Wonderful,  however,  as  are  the  sudden  creation  of  these 
tloods,  the  very  short  time  they  require  to  disappear  is  no  less 
striking.  An  hour’s  sunshine  is  sometimes  sufficient  to  trans-  : 
form  hooded  fields  into  a smiling  landscape. 

These  commotions  of  the  elements  are  of  frequent  occurrence 
in  the  tropics,  during  the  rainy  season.  Soon  after  Mr.  Galton’s 
arrival  at  Barmen,  there  was  a very  heavy  thunder-storm.  One 
evening,  as  lie  and  Mr.  Hahn  were  conversing,  they  saw  a Da- 
mara  struck  dead  by  lightning,  within  a hundred  yards  of  where 
they  stood. 

Water  was  abundant  at  Barmen,  and  very  good.  Mr.  Hahn 
had  dug  a large  well  in  his  own  garden,  which  was  of  very 
great  convenience  and  comfort,  as  the  water  thus  obtained  was 
always  clean  and  wholesome.  Within  a couple  of  hundred 
Daces  of  the  dwelling-house  there  were,  moreover,  two  copious 
fountains.  One  of  these  was  a warm  spring,  the  temperature 
being  157  degrees  of  Fahrenheit.  By  means  of  small  channels 
this  spring  was  made  to  irrigate  a considerable  portion  of  garden 
land,  and  was,  also,  of  great  use  in  seasoning  timber.  To  the 


THE  MISSION  A It  IKS  AND  THE  NATIVES. 


77 


laundress,  besides,  it  was  invaluable.  During  our  stay  at  Bar- 
men, we  indulged  freely  in  the  unusual  and  uncommon  luxury 
of  a bath  ; but  it  proved  somewhat  relaxing. 

Mr.  Hahn  was  a Russian  by  birth,  but  had,  for  a number  of 
years,  devoted  himself  to  the  service  of  the  German  Rhenish, 
Missionary  Society,  and  was  now  using  his  best  endeavors  to 
convert  the  natives  of  this  benighted  land.  At  first  he  had 
settled  among  a tribe  of  Namaquas,  under  the  powerful  robber- 
chief,  Jonker  Afrikaner,  of  whom  presently.  Finding,  however, 
that  these  people  infinitely  preferred  to  cut  the  throats  of  their 
fe-llo w-eieatures,  than  to  listen  to  his  exhortations,  and  know- 
ing, moreover,  that  several  missionaries  had  already  established 
themselves  throughout  various  parts  of  Great  Namaqua-land,  he 
thought  that  he  might  use  his  influence  to  more  advantage  with 
the  Damaras,  amongst  whom,  therefore,  he  had  pitched  his 
tent.  Messrs.  Rath  and  Kolbe  were  his  coadjutors  in  the  good 
cause. 

Seeing  that  their  best  endeavors  were  of  little  avail  without 
a proper  knowledge  of  the  Damara  language,  they  worked  hard 
in  order  to  master  it;  but  the  difficulty  was  immense.  At  last, 
by  the  merest  chance,  they  discovered  the  key  to  it ; and,  from 
that  moment,  they  made  rapid  progress,  so  much  so,  that,  in  the 
course  of  a few  years,  Mr.  Hahn  was  able  to  return  to  Ger- 
many, where  he  has  compiled  and  published  a grammar  and 
dictionary. 

On  the  first  appearance  of  the  missionaries  in  Damara-land, 
the  natives  were  very  reserved,  and  retired  with  their  cattle 
into  the  interior.  Being  wholly  dependent  on  them  for  sup- 
plies of  live  stock,  the  settlers  suffered  great  hardships  and  pri- 
vations. Indeed,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  starvation  stared 
them  in  the  face  ; and  they  lived  for  a long  time  in  a precarious 
way  on  such  wild  animals  as  their  Hottentot  servants  managed 
to  kill.  The  Damaras,  moreover,  probably  judging  others  by 
themselves,  conceived  the  idea  that  the  missionaries  had  come 
into  the  country  with  some  sinister  object,  and  that  it  would 
be  advisable  to  frustrate  it.  Accordingly,  they  assembled  in 
great  numbers  within  a few  miles  of  Barmen,  for  the  purpose 
of  extei initiating  the  new  settlers.  Their  diabolical  intentions 
were,  however,  defeated  by  the  counsel  of  one  of  their  tribe. 
At  the  time  of  which  I am  now  writing,  Mr.  Hahn  and  his  coad- 
jutors had  completely  succeeded  in  pacifying  and  conciliating 
the  Damaras,  and  a great  number  of  the  poorer  classes  were 
now  living  at  the  station,  where,  by  a little  industry  and  perse- 
verance, many  managed  to  live  in  tolerable  comfort.  The  great 


7S  THE  LAKE  OMANBONDi. 

source  of  their  wealth  consisted  in  the  cultivation  of  tobacco, 
which  here  grew  to  perfection — the  leaves  of  this  plant  often 
attaining  the  size  of  three  feet  by  two.  What  they  did  not  con- 
sume themselves  was  bartered  for  cattle  to  their  wealthier 
countrymen. 

Here,  however,  their  civilization  seemed  to  be  at  a stand-still. 
The  missionaries  were  laudably  and  strenuously  exerting  them- 
selves in  their  behalf;  but,  as  yet,  they  had  met  with  little  or 
no  encouragement.  To  the  mind  of  a Damara,  the  idea  of  men 
visiting  them  solely  from  love  and  charity,  is  utterly  inconceiv- 
able. They  cannot  banish  a suspicion  that  the  motives  of  the 
stranger  must  be  interested  ; and  they  not  unfrequently  require 
a bribe  in  return  for  any  services  they  may  render  to  the  mission- 
ary cause.  As  an  instance  of  the  utter  failure  of  religious  zeal  in 
these  parts,  I may  mention,  that  Mr.  Hahn,  who  is  liked  and 
respected  by  the  natives,  never  succeeded,  as  he  himself  told 
me,  in  converting  a single  individual ! In  one  instance,  how- 
ever, he  imagined  that  he  had  made  a convert;  but,  before  the 
individal  in  question  could  be  finally  admitted  as  a member  of 
the  Christian  church,  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  give  sat- 
isfactory answers  to  certain  questions.  One  of  these  was, 
whether,  according  to  the  usages  of  Christianity,  he  would  be 
contented  with  one  wife.  To  this,  the  man  replied,  that, 
though  he  was  very  anxious  to  oblige  Mr.  Hahn  and  his  friends 
personally,  and  to  further  the  objects  of  the  mission  in  every 
way  possible,  yet  his  conscience  would  not  permit  him  to  make 
so  great  a sacrifice  as  that  required. 

The  wealthy  Damaras  were  even  more  indifferent  to  spiritual 
matters  than  their  poorer  brethren  ; and,  if  they  happened  to 
visit  any  of  the  stations,  it  was  not  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  the 
gospel  preached,  but  either  in  the  hope  of  protection  against  their 
enemies,  or  with  a view  to  business  by  bartering  tobacco,  iron- 
ware, and  so  forth.  One  exception  to  this  rule  was  found  in 
the  case  of  the  chief  Kahichene,  who  had  settled,  with  part  of 
his  tribe,  ah  Schmelen’s  Hope. 

Mr.  Galton  had  not  been  idle  during  my  absence.  Besides 
collecting  much  interesting  information  with  regard  to  the 
Damaras  and  the  Namaquas,  he  had  ascertained  the  existence 
of  a fresh- water  lake,  called  Omanbonde.  This  had  the  effect 
of  raising  our  spirits  considerably.  We  had  landed  at  Walfisch 
Bay  with  a very  vague  idea  as  to  our  route,  and  had  hitherto 
felt  quite  at  a loss  how  to  act. 

To  enable  us  to  reach  Omanbonde,  it  was  necessary  to  pass 
through  Damara-land.  which  was  totally  unknown  to  Europe- 


A SURPE1 


79 


ans.  Even  the  missionaries,  who  had  resided  several  years  on 
the  frontiers,  were  ignorant  of  the  country  beyond  a very  few 
miles  of  their  stations.  The  Damaras  themselves  entertained 
the  most  extravagant  notions  of  its  extent,  population,  and 
fertility.  The  people,  however,  were  known  to  be  inhospita- 
ble, treacherous,  suspicious,  and  inimical  to  strangers.  It  had 
always  been  considered  insecure  to  travel  amongst  them  ; but 
more  particularly  so  at  this  time,  since  their  southern  neighbors, 
the  Namaquas,  attracted  by  their  vast  herds,  had  lately  made 
several  extensive  raids  upon  them,  killing  the  people  and 
carrying  off  large  numbers  of  cattle,  sheep,  etc.  They  believed, 
and  with  some  show  of  reason,  that  every  individual  of  a light 
complexion  was  leagued  against  them.  They  well  knew  that 
the  cattle  stolen  from  them  by  their  enemies,  the  Namaquas, 
were  sold  to  European  traders,  and  they  knew  also,  that,  if  by 
accident  or  design,  the  cattle  belonging  to  the  missionaries,  or 
other  white  men,  were  stolen  by  the  thievish  people  in  question, 
they  were  always  restored  on  application.  This,  together  with 
the  feet  that  an  European  could  pass  unmolested  through  the 
Namaqua  territory,  strengthened  them  in  the  conviction  that 
we  were  ei  emies  in  disguise. 

In  order,  therefore,  to  clam  their  excited  feelings,  to  assure 
them  of  oui  friendly  and  peaceable  intentions,  and  to  explain 
to  them  the  real  motive  of  our  journey,  Mr.  Galton  had  dispatch- 
ed messengers  to  the  principal  Damara  chiefs.  He  also  wrote 
to  Jonker  Afrikaner  (having  previously  sent  messengers  to  him 
while  at  Richterfeldt)  remonstrating  with  him  on  the  barbarity 
and  injustice  of  his  conduct.  Jonker  is  a leading  chieftain 
amongst  the  Namaqua-Hottentots.  He  headed  in  person  tin- 
greater  part  of  the  marauding  expeditions  into  Damara-land. 

Having  spent  a few  days  agreeably  and  usefully  at  Barmen, 
we  prepared  to  return  to  our  camp  at  Richterfeldt ; but  when 
the  day  of  departure  had  arrived,  I felt  very  feverish,  and  Galton 
was  obliged  to  prosecute  his  journey  without  me.  In  a short 
tin  e,  however,  I was  able  to  follow7. 

On  riding  briskly  along,  early  one  morning,  I observed,  as  I 
thought,  a solitary  zebra  a few  hundred  yards  in  advance. 
Instantly  alighting,  and  leaving  “ Spring”  to  take  care  of 
himself,  I made  towards  the  quarry,  gun  in  hand,  under  cover 
of  a few  small  trees.  Having  proceeded  for  some  distance,  I 
peeped  cautiously  from  behind  a bush,  when  I found,  to  my 
astonishment,  that  the  animal  which  I had  taken  for  a zebra 
was  nothing  less  than  a noble  lion.  He  was  quietly  gazing  at 
me.  I must  confess  I felt  9 little  startled  at  the  unexpected 


80 


CHASE  OF  A G N O O . 

apparition ; but,  recovering  quickly  from  surprise,  I advanced 
to  meet  him.  He,  however,  did  not  think  fit  to  wait  till  I was 
within  proper  range,  but  turned  tail,  and  fled  towards  the  Swa- 
kop.  Hoping  to  be  able  to  come  to  close  quarters  with  him, 
I followed  at  the  top  of  my  speed,  and  was  rapidly  gaining 
ground  on  the  brute,  when  suddenly,  with  two  or  three  im- 
mense bounds,  he  cleared  an  open  space,  and  was  the  next 
moment  hidden  from  view  among  the  thick  reeds  that  here 
lined  the  banks  of  the  river.  Having  no  dogs  with  me,  all  my 
efforts  to  dislodge  him  from  his  strong-hold  proved  unavailing. 
Whilst  still  lingering  about  the  place,  I came  upon  the  carcass 
of  a gnoo,  on  which  a troop  of  lions  had  apparently  been  feast- 
ing not  many  minutes  previously.  Undoubtedly  my  somewhat 
dastardly  friend  had  been  one  of  the  party. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  that  I reached  Richterfeldt, 
a very  exciting  and  animating  chase  took  place  A gnoo  had 
been  slightly  wounded  by  a Hottentot  servant  of  Mr.  Rath. 
The  natives,  who  had  watched  the  whole  affair  from  he  station, 
immediately  gave  chase  to  the  animal.  Finding  itself  hard 
pressed,  the  gnoo,  in  its  fright,  took  refuge  in  the  village,  where 
it  was  quickly  hemmed  in  all  sides.  Every  woman  and  child 
had  turned  out  to  witness  its  destruction,  whilst  the  men  were 
vociferously  contending  about  the  right  to  the  carcass'.  Assegais 
and  arrows,  moreover,  were  whizzing  thick  round  our  ears,  and 
I had  considerable  difficulty  in  making  my  way  through  this 
scene  of  confusion  to  the  poor  gnoo,  which  I found  at  bay  in  the 
middle  of  Mr.  Rath’s  sheep  kraal,  not  twenty  feet  from  his  own 
dwelling.  It  was  pierced  with  two  assegais,  and  the  blood  flowed  in 
streams  down  its  panting  and  foaming  sides. 

Though  the  gnoo  is  but  a comparatively  small  animal,  its  high 
fore-quarters,  its  coarse  and  shaggy  mane,  and  its  buffalo  head, 
give  it  a very  imposing  and  formidable  appearance.  It  was  impatiently 
stamping  and  striking  the  ground  with  its  fore-feet,  and  its  looks 
Beemed  to  bid  defiance  to  us  all. 

At  some  risk,  on  account  of  the  immense  concourse  of  people 
assembled,  I put  a ball  through  the  animal’s  shoulder,  which  at  once 
ended  its  sufferings.  A few  minutes  more — nay,  rather  seconds — 
there  was  not  a vestige  to  be  seen  of  it.  Indeed,  it  was  literally  torn 
to  pieces  by  the  natives. 

On  paying  my  respects,  later  in  the  evening,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rath,  I was  politely  informed  that  the  penalty  for  shooting  the  gnoo 
was  a goat.  This  being  explained,  I found,  to  my  surprise,  that  the 
ball  had  passed  clean  through  the  antelope,  and  had  struck  dead  a 
goat  belonging  to  these  worthy  people. 


LION  HUNT. 


m 

The  day  previously  to  my  reaching  the  encampment,  Mr. 
Galton  had  started  on  an  excursion  to  the  westward.  His  ob- 
ject was  chiefly  to  procure  cattle  from  the  natives  ; for  we  had  not 
yet  succeeded  in  obtaining  a sufficiency  of  animals.  He  \va« 
also  anxious  to  see  and  explore  Erongo,  a mountain  famous  at 
once  for  its  peculiar  formation,  and  as  a strong-hold  of  that  curi- 
ous race,  the  Hill-Damaras.  Mr.  Galton  was  accompanied  by 
Hans,  who  had  already  visited  the  place,  and  a few  other  serv- 
ants. On  his  return  from  Erongo,  we  were  to  start,  with  the 
wagons,  up  the  country. 

One  day,  when  eating  my  humble  dinner,  I was  interrupted 
by  the  arrival  of  several  natives,  who,  in  breathless  haste,  related 
that  an  ongeama,  or  lion,  had  just  killed  one  of  their  goats  close 
to  the  mission  station  (Richterfeldt),  and  begged  of  me  to  lend 
them  a hand  in  destroying  the  beast.  They  had  so  often  cried  t 
u wolf,”  that  I did  not  give  much  heed  to  their  statements  ; 
but,  as  they  persisted  in  their  story,  I at  last  determined  to  as- 
certain its  truth.  Having  strapped  to  my  waist  a shooting-belt, 
containing  the  several  requisites  of  a hunter — such  as  bullets, 
caps,  knife,  etc.,  I shouldered  my  trusty  double-barreled  gun  (after 
loading  it  with  steel-pointed  balls),  and  followed  the  men. 

In  a short  time  we  reached  the  spot  where  the  lion  was  be- 
lieved to  have  taken  refuge.  This  was  in  a dense  tamarisk 
brake,  of  som.e  considerable  extent,  situated  partially  on,  and 
below,  the  sloping  banks  of  the  Swakop,  near  to  its  junction 
with  the  Omutenna,  one  of  its  tributaries. 

On  the  rising  ground,  above  the  brake  in  question,  were 
drawn  up,  in  battle  array,  a number  of  Damaras  and  Naraa- 
quas,  some  armed  with  assegais,  and  a few  with  guns.  Others 
of  the  party  were  in  the  brake  itself,  endeavoring  to  oust  the  lion. 

But  as  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  “ beaters”  were  timid,  and, 
moreover,  somewhat  slow  in  their  movements,  I called  them 
back  ; and,  accompanied  by  only  one  or  two  persons,  as  also  a 
few  worthless  dogs,  entered  the  brake  myself.  It  was  rather  a 
dangerous  proceeding;  for,  in  places,  the  cover  was  so  thick 
and  tangled  as  to  oblige  me  to  creep  on  my  hands  and  knees , 
and  the  lion,  in  consequence,  might  easily  have  pounced  upon 
me  without  a moment’s  warning.  At  that  time,  however,  1 
had  not  obtained  any  experimental  knowledge  of  the  old  say- 
ing— “ A burnt  child  dreads  the  fire,”  and  therefore  felt  little  or 
no  apprehension. 

Thus  I had  proceeded  for  some  time;  when  suddenly,  and 
within  a few  paces  of  where  I stood,  I heard  a low,  angry 
growl,  which  caused  the  dogs,  with  hair  erect  in  the  manner  of 


LION  HUNT. 


62 

lions’  bristle,  and  with  their  tails  between  their  legs,  to  slink 
helm  id  my  heels.  Immediately  afterwards,  a tremendous  shout 
of  “Ongeama!  Ongeama!”  was  raised  by  the  natives  on  the 
bank  above,  followed  by  a discharge  of  fire-arms.  Presently 
however,  all  was  still  again  ; for  the  lion,  as  I subsequently 
learnt,  after  showing  himself  on  the  outskirts  of  the  brake,  had 
retreated  into  it. 

Once  more  I attempted  to  dislodge  the  beast;  but,  finding 
i lie  enemy  awaiting  him  in  the  more  open  country,  he  was  very 
loth  to  leave  his  strong-hold.  Again,  however,  I succeeded  in 
driving  him  to  the  edge  of  the  brake,  where,  as  in  the  first  in- 
stance, he  was  received  with  a volley  ; but  a broomstick  would 
have  been  equally  efficacious  as  a gun  in  the  hands  of  these  peo- 
ple ; for,  out  of  a great  number  of  shot  that  were  fired,  not  one 
seemed  to  have  taken  effect. 

Worn  out  at  length  by  my  exertions,  and  disgusted  beyond 
measure  at  the  way  in  which  the  natives  bungled  the  affair,  I 
left  the  tamarisk  brake,  and,  rejoining  them  on  the  bank  above, 
offered  to  change  place  with  them  ; but  my  proposal,  as  I ex- 
pected, was  forthwith  declined. 

As  the  day,  however,  was  now  fast  drawing  to  a close,  I de- 
termined  to  make  one  other  effort  to  destroy  the  lion,  and, 
should  that  prove  unsuccessful,  to  give  up  the  chase.  Accord- 
ingly, accompanied  by  only  a single  native,  I again  entered  the 
brake  in  question,  which  I examined  for  some  time  without  see- 
ing anything;  but  on  arriving  at  that  part  of  the  cover  we  had 
first  searched,  and  when  in  a spot  comparatively  free  from 
bushes,  up  suddenly  sprung  the  beast  within  a few  paces  of  me. 
It  was  a black-maned  lion,  and  one  of  the  largest  I ever  remem- 
ber to  have  encountered  in  Africa.  But  his  movements  were 
so  rapid,  so  silent  and  smooth  withal,  that  it  was  not  until  he 
had  partially  entered  the  thick  cover  (at  which  time  he  might 
have  been  about  thirty  paces  distant)  that  I could  fire.  On  re- 
ceiving the  ball,  he  wheeled  short  about,  and,  with  a terrific 
roar,  bounded  towards  me.  When  within  a few  paces,  he 
couched  as  if  about  to  spring,  having  his  head  embedded,  so  to 
say,  between  his  fore-paws. 

Drawing  a large  hunting-knife  and  slipping  it  over  the  wrist 
of  my  right  hand,  I dropped  on  one  knee,  and,  thus  prepared, 
awaited  his  onset.  It  was  an  awful  moment  of  suspense;  and 
my  situation  was  critical  in  the  extreme.  Still  my  presence  of 
mind  never  for  a moment  forsook  me — indeed,  I felt  that  no- 
thing but  the  most  perfect  coolness  and  absolute  self-command 
would  be  of  any  avail. 


SHOOTING  ON  SUNDAY. 


8A 


[ would  now  have  become  the  assailant  ; but  as — owing  tc 
the  intervening  bushes,  and  clouds  of  dust  raised  by  the  lion’s 
lasning  his  tail  against  the  ground — L was  unable  to  see  his 
head,  while  to  aim  at  any  other  part  would  have  been  mad- 
ness, i refrained  from  firing.  Whilst  intently  watching  his 
every  motion,  he  suddenly  bounded  towards  me  ; but — whether 
it  was  owing  to  his  not  perceiving  me,  partially  concealed  as  I 
was  in  the  long  grass — or  to  my  instinctively  throwing  my 
body  on  one  side — or  to  his  miscalculating  the  distance— in 
making  his  last  spring  he  went  clear  over  me,  and  alighted  on 
the  ground  three  or  four  paces  beyond.  Instantly,  and  with- 
out rising,  I wheeled  round  on  my  knee,  and  discharged  my 
second  barrel ; and,  as  his  broadside  was  then  towards  me, 
lodged  a ball  in  his  shoulder,  which  it  completely  smashed. 
On  receiving  my  second  fire,  he  made  another  and  more  deter- 
mined rush  at  me  ; but,  owing  to  his  disabled  state,  I happily 
avoided  him.  It  was,  however,  only  by  a hair’s  breadth,  for  he 
passed  me  within  arm’s  length.  He  afterwards  scrambled  into 
the  thick  cover  beyond,  where,  as  night  was  then  approaching, 
I did  not  deem  it  prudent  to  pursue  him. 

Ac  an  early  hour  on  the  next  morning,  however,  we  followed 
his  “ spoor,”  and  soon  came  to  the  spot  where  he  had  passed 
the  night.  The  sand  here  was  one  patch  of  blood ; and  the 
bushes  immediately  about  were  broken,  and  beaten  down  by 
his  weight,  as  he  had  staggered  to  and  fro  in  his  effort  to  get  on 
his  legs  again.  Strange  to  say,  however,  we  here  lost  ali  clue 
to  the  beast.  A large  troop  of  lions,  that  had  been  feasting  on  a 
giraffe  in  the  early  morning,  had  obliterated  his  tracks;  and  it 
was  not  until  some  days  afterwards,  and  when  the  carcass  was 
in  a state  of  decomposition,  that  his  death  was  ascertained.  He 
breathed  his  last  very  near  to  where  we  were  4i  at  fault;”  but, 
in  prosecuting  the  search,  we  had  unfortunately  taken  exactly 
the  opposite  direction. 

On  our  homeward  path  from  the  pursuit  of  the  lion,  we 
fell  in  with  a herd  of  zebras  ; and,  while  discharging  my  gun 
at  them,  I accidentally  pulled  both  triggers  at  once.  The 
piece  being  very  light,  and  loaded  with  double  charges,  the 
barrel  flew  out  of  the  stock — the  cocks  burying  themselves 
deep  in  the  flesh  on  either  side  of  my  nose  just  under  the  eyes, 
and  left  scars  visible  to  this  day.  Mr.  Rath,  on  seeing  me  in 
this  plight,  was  good  enough  to  say,  by  way  of  consolation, 
that  it  was  undoubtedly  a just  punishment  of  Heaven,  in  con- 
sequence of  my  having  carried  a gun  on  a Sunday  ! 


CHAPTER  X. 


& CHRISTMAS  IN  THE  DESERT MR.  GALTONS  RETURN  FROM  THE  ERONGO 

MOUNTAIN HE  PASSES  NUMEROUS  VILLAGES GREAT  DROUGHT;  THE 

NATIVES  HAVE  A CHOICE  OF  TWO  EVILS THE  HILL-DAMARAS THE 

DAMARAS  A PASTORAL  PEOPLE THE  WHOLE  COUNTRY  PUBLIC  PROPERTY 

ENORMOUS  HERDS  OF  CATTLE THEY  ARE  AS  DESTRUCTIVE  AS  LOCUSTS  TO 

THE  VEGETATION DEPARTURE  FROM  RICHTERFELDT THE  AUTHOR  KILLS 

AN  ORYX THE  OXEN  REFRACTORY DANGER  OF  TRAVERSING  DRY  WATER- 

COURSES ON  THE  APPROACH  OF  THE  RAINY  SEASON— MESSAGE  FROM  THE 

ROBBER-CHIEF,  JONKER EMEUTE  AMONGST  THE  SERVANTS DEPART  FOR 

SCHMELEN’S  HOPE. 

We  had  now  been  rather  more  than  four  months  in  the 
country,  and  Christmas  had  imperceptibly  stolen  upon  us. 
Singularly  enough,  though  I kept  a journal,  I was  not  aware  of 
the  fact  until  one  morning  the  men  came  to  wish  me  a “merry 
Christmas.”  A merry  Christmas!  alas!  there  were  no  merry 
children — no  joyous  feast — no  Christmas-trees  nor  other  indica- 
tion of  “ the  hallowed  and  gracious  time.”  One  day  was  of  the 
same  importance  to  us  as  another.  Moreover,  our  store  of 
grocery,  etc.,  was  too  scant  to  enable  our  cook  to  produce  us  a 
plum-pudding,  or  any  of  those  dainty-dishes  that  even  the 
working-man  in  civilized  countries  would  be  sorry  to  be  with- 
out at  tins  season.  Fortunately,  we  had  now  so  accustomed 
ourselves  to  “ bush-diet,”  that  we  did  not  even  feel  the  want  of 
what  others  might  deem  to  be  the  necessaries  of  life.  Constant 
exposure  to  the  fresh-air  and  perpetual  exercise  had  so  greatly 
increased  our  appetites,  and  improved  our  digestive  powers,  that 
though  we  might  not,  like  the  natives,  demolish  a “yard”  of  so 
or  flesh  at  a meal,  we  could,  nevertheless,  play  our  part  at 


THE  E KONGO  MOUNTAIN. 


87 


meals  as  well  as  any  London  alderman — in  fact,  we  could  eat 
ax  all  times,  and  scarcely  anything  ever  came  "amiss.  A draught 
of  water  from  the  pure  spring,  and  a piece  of  dried  meat  just 
warmed  in  the  hot  ashes,  was  as  much  relished  by  us,  as  a glass 
of  sparkling  pale  ale  and  a slice  of  Yorkshire  ham  would  have 
been  in  Europe. 

In  this  way  we  managed  to  live  on  cheerfully  and  agreeably  ; 
yet  thoughts  of  home,  with  all  its  comforts,  and  friends  dear  to 
memory,  would  now  and  then  flash  across  our  minds.  Such 
reflections,  however,  we  tried  to  avoid,  as  they  only  served  to 
sadden  us. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  December,  Galton  returned 
from  his  excursion  to  Erongo.  He  had  been  suffering  from 
fever,  and  was  right  glad  to  find  himself  safe  back  at  the 
encampment.  The  trip  had  been  rather  satisfactory.  The 
chief  result  of  it  was  an  addition  of  about  twenty  oxen,  and 
double  that  number  of  sheep  and  goats,  to  our  live-stock. 
We  were  now  pretty  well  provided  against  all  emergencies — at 
least,  for  some  time  to  come.  Galton  had,  moreover,  ascended 
the  mountain,  with  which  he  expressed  himself  much  struck 
and  pleased.  He  fully  corroborated  the  story  of  the  natives  as 
to  its  impregnability ; for  it  was  accessible  only  in  one  or  tw6 
places,  and  these  could  easily  be  defended  against  a whole  army 
bv  a mere  handful  of  men. 

In  round  numbers,  it  was  about  three  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  plain,  and  extended  in  a straight  line  upwards 
of  fifteen  miles.  The  vegetation  appeared  very  much  the  same 
as  elsewhere  in  Damara-land,  but,  perhaps,  more  rank.  The 
wild  fig-tree  grew  rather  plentifully  among  the  crevices  of  the 
rocks,  and  the  travelers  obtained  an  abundance  of  the  fruit, 
which  was  very  palatable. 

Erongo  was  only  inhabited  by  Hill-Damaras,  under  the  rule 
of  different  petty  chiefs.  From  all  accounts,  they  were  possess- 
ed of  numerous  herds  of  cattle  ; but  my  friend  only  saw  their 
tracks,  as  the  natives  were  unwilling  to  sell  or  to  exhibit  any 
of  the  animals.  They  waged  an  exterminating  war  with  the 
Damaras,  who  lived  in  the  plains  below  ; and,  having  seen  the 
party  pass  unmolested  through  the  territory  of  their  mortal 
enemies,  they  were  naturally  suspicious  as  to  their  motive. 
They  probably  thought  that  Mr.  Galton  had  come  with  a view 
to  spy  out  and  reconnoitre  their  strong-hold,  and  then  to  return 
with  reinforcements,  in  order  to  carry  off  their  cattle. 

Both  in  going  and  coming,  Galton  had  passed  through  severa. 
large  villages  of  Damaras,  who  complained  bitterly  of  the  severe 


88 


IMMENSE  HERDS  OF  CATTLE. 


drought,  which  was  daily  carrying  off  numbers  of  their  stock 
The  only  place  that  still  afforded  grass  and  water  in  tolerable 
abundance,  was  the  country  bordering  on  the  river  Swakop  ; but  ! 
there  they  feared  the  Namaquas.  However,  they  had  only  two 
alternatives — either  to  risk  being  plundered  by  these  unscrupu-  ji 
lous  people,  or  to  perish,  with  their  cattle,  from  hunger  and 
thirst.  The  first  of  these  was  thought  the  least  evil  of  the  two,  | 
and  they  were,  therefore,  gradually  approaching  the  dangerous 
district.  Indeed,  several  kraals  had  already  been  established  at 
Richterfeldt. 

Being  entirely  a pastoral  people,  the  Damaras  have  no 
notions  of  permanent  habitations.  The  whole  country  is'  con- 
sidered public  property.  As  soon  as  the  grass  is  eaten  off,  or 
the  water  exhausted,  in  one  place,  they  move  away  to  another. 
Notwithstanding  this,  and  the  loose  notions  generally  enter- 
tained by  them  as  to  meum  and  tuum,  there  is  an  understanding 
that  he,  who  arrives  first  at  any  given  locality,  is  the  master  of 
it  as  long  as  he  chooses  to  remain  there,  and  no  one  will  in-  : 
trude  upon  him  without  having  previously  asked  and  obtained 
his  permission.  The  same  is  observed  even  with  regard  to 
strangers.  Thus  the  once-powerful  chief,  Kahichene,  was 
anxious  to  take  up  his  quarters  at  Richterfeldt;  but,  acting  on 
the  understanding  described,  he  first  dispatched  some  of  his 
head  men  to  Mr.  Rath,  to  ascertain  from  him  how  far  he  was 
agreeable  to  his  proposal.  The  Rev.  gentleman  replied  that 
their  master  could  do  as  he  liked  in  this  matter,  as  he,  himself, 
was  but  a stranger,  and,  consequently,  could  not  lay  any  claim 
to  the  soil.  However,  the  messengers  would  not  listen  to  this, 
and  told  him  that  their  chief  would  never  think  of  intruding 
without  having  obtained  special  permission  to  do  so. 

At  this  period,  Kahichene  was  supposed  to  be  the  richest  and  i 
most  potent  chieftain  throughout  the  country.  His  wealth,  of 
course,  consisted  solely  in  oxen  and  sheep.  To  give  some  idea 
of  the  number  he  then  possessed,  I will  state  that,  early  on  the 
day  after  the  interview  just  mentioned  had  taken  place,  the  first 
droves  began  to  make  their  appearance,  and  continued  to  arrive, 
without  intermission,  till  late  in  the  evening  of  the  second  day 
Moreover,  they  did  not  come  in  files  of  one  or  two,  but  the 
whole  bed  and  banks  of  the  Swakop  were  actually  covered 
with  one  living  mass  of  oxen.  And,  after  all,  this  was  but  a 
small  portion  of  what  he  really  owned.  In  the  space  of  three 
short  weeks,  not  a blade  of  grass  or  green  thing  was  to  be  met 
with  for  many  miles  on  either  side  of  Richterfeldt.  Indeed,  a 
person,  unacquainted  with  the  real  cause  of  this  desolation. 


DEPARTURE  FROM  RICHTERFELDT. 


89 


would  have  been  likely  to  attribute  it  to  the  devastating  influ- 
ence of  that  scourge  of  Africa — the  locust. 

Much  valuable  time  had  hitherto  been  lost  in  obtaining  infor- 
mation of  the  country  and  the  inhabitants,  in  buying  and 
breaking-in  of  cattle,  and  so  forth — and  this  without  our  having 
accomplished  any  considerable  distance.  We  were  now  in 
hope,  however,  of  being  able  to  prosecute  our  journey  in  earn- 
est, and  no  time  was  lost  in  making  the  final  arrangements  for 
our  departure.  Our  intended  route  lay  to  the  north  of  Richter- 
feldt ; but,  as  the  country  was  said  to  be  very  billy  and  densely 
wooded,  we  deemed  it  advisable  to  proceed  via  Barmen.  As 
hardly  mules  enough  were  left  to  draw  the  cart,  it  was  thought 
best  to  leave  it  behind  in  charge  of  Mr.  Rath,  who  kindly 
promised  to  lowk  after  it  in  our  absence.  The  two  wagons 
were  thought  sufficiently  large  to  contain  ourselves  and  bag- 
gage 

The  oxen,  which  from  the  beginning  had  been  only  partially 
broken-in,  were  now — from  their  long  rest — wild,  refractory,  and 
unmanageable  in  the  extreme.  Before  we  could  effectually 
secure  the  two  spans  (teams)  necessary  for  the  wagons,  several 
hours  had  elapsed;  and  it  was  not  till  late  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  30th  of  December,  1S50,  that  we  were  able  to  bid  a final 
farewell  to  Richterfeldt,  and  its  obliging  inhabitants. 

We  made  but  little  progress  the  first  day ; and  when  we 
bivouacked  for  the  night,  which  was  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Swakop.  we  were  only  three  hours’  journey  from  the  missionary 
station.  Indeed,  we  were  obliged  to  come  to  an  early  halt,  in 
consequence  of  the  mules,  and  some  of  the  oxen,  having  taken 
themselves  off. 

During  the  night  we  were  serenaded  by  whole  troops  of 
lions  and  hysenas.  One  of  the  latter  had  the  boldness  to  come 
within  the  encampment,  and  only  retreated  after  an  obstinate 
combat  with  the  dogs.  In  the  bed  of  the  river,  moreover,  and 
where  our  cattle  had  been  drinking  during  the  night,  we  dis- 
covered a spot  where  a lion  had  made  a dash  at  a zebra,  but  his 
prey  had  evidently  disappointed  him. 

Next  morning,  without  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  men 
who  had  been  sent  in  search  of  the  missing  animals,  I shoul- 
dered my  gun  and  went  in  advance,  in  the  hope  of  procuring  a 
few  specimens  of  natural  history — as  also  of  meeting  with  game 
of  some  kind  or  other  : nor  was  I disappointed.  At  a bend  of 
the  river,  I suddenly  encountered  a fine  herd  of  oryxes,  or 
gemsboks,  the  supposed  South  African  unicorn.  As  they 
dashed  across  my  path  at  double-quick  time,  and  at  least  one 


90 


THE  OXEN  INTRACTABLE. 


hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  advance,  I fired  at  the  leading  animal 
(which  proved  a fine  full-grown  female),  and  had  the  satisfac- 
tion to  see  it  drop  to  the  shot.  On  going  up  to  my  prize,  I 
found  that  the  ball — a conical  one — had  passed  clean  through 
both  shoulders  ; and  this  was,  perhaps,  somewhat  remarkable, 
as  the  gun-barrel  was  smooth  in  the  bore.  Having  care-  j 
fully  removed  the  skin,  with  the  head  attached  to  it,  I set 
to  work  to  quarter  the  flesh,  which  was  rather  a laborious 
task. 

Though  it  was  winter  (January),  the  day  was  oppressively 
hot,  and  the  leafless  thorn-trees  afforded  no  shelter  against  the 
burning  rays  of  the  si'  n.  I suffered  excessively  from  thirst,  and, 
unfortunately,  the  w igons  did  not  overtake  me  till  after  sunset. 
The  Damaras  yelled  with  delight  at  the  sight  of  the  oryx.  They 
had  a glorious  gorge  that  night,  and  the  return  of  daylight  found 
them  still  at  their  feast! 

With  the  exception  of  a heavy  thunder-storm,  accompanied 
by  a deluge  of  rain,  our  journey  to  Barmen  was  marked  by  no 
further  incident  worth  recording.  We  reached  it  in  safety  on 
the  9th  of  January,  18-51,  after  seven  days’  travel,  half  of  which 
time  would  have  been  sufficient  under  ordinary  circumstances  ; 
but  we  had  experienced  very  considerable  difficulties  in  getting 
our  wagons  forward.  The  oxen  pulled  well  enough  so  long  as 
the  country  was  level ; but  the  moment  they  had  to  face  a hill, 
they  came  to  a stand,  and  no  amount  of  flogging  would  induce 
them  to  move.  When  the  whip  was  applied,  it  only  produced 
a furious  bellowing,  kicking,  tossing  of  heads,  switching  of 
tails,  and  so  forth.  On  such  occasions  they  would  not  unfre 
quently  twist  themselves  entirely  round  in  the  yoke,  and  it  often 
took  a whole  hour  to  put  them  to  rights  again. 

On  account  of  the  thick  wood,  and  general  ruggedness  of  the 
country,  the  dry  beds  of  periodical  water-courses  afford  the  only 
really  practicable  road.  On  the  approach  of  the  rainy-season, 
however,  these  are  not  always  safe  ; for,  when  in  imagined 
security,  the  traveler  may,  perhaps,  all  at  once  find  himself  in. 
the  midst  of  a foaming  torrent.  If  the  oxen  are  not  wTell~  [j 
trained,  most  serious  results  are  to  be  dreaded.  There  are  many 
instances  of  wagons  with  their  teams  having  been  thus  sur- 
prised and  swept  away.  Our  fears  on  this  head,  therefore, 
were  not  quieted  until  we  were  in  full  view  of  the  missionary- 
house  at  Barmen.  Indeed,  it  was  high  time ; for  on  the  third 
day  of  our  arrival  there,  the  Swakop  sent  down  its  mighty 
flood. 

The  first  showers  of  rain,  it  should  be  remarked,  usually  fall 


REFRACTOR V SERVANTS. 


31 


as  early  as  September  and  October,  but  the  rainy-season  does 
not  fairly  set-in  until  December  and  January. 

A letter  from  Jonker  Afrikaner  was  awaiting  our  arrival, 
expressing  a wish  that  Mr.  Gal  ton,  in  person,  would  pay  him 
an  early  visit,  that  they  might  confer  together  on  the  affairs  of 
the  country.  My  friend  was,  at  first,  a little  undecided  how 
to  act,  as  it  might  only  have  been  a ruse  of  the  crafty  chief  to 
entrap  him.  However,  as  under  every  circumstance  it  would 
be  better  to  know  his  real  intentions  than  to  be  kept  in  constant 
uncertainty  and  suspense,  he  determined,  as  soon  as  circum- 
stances permitted,  to  comply  with  Jonker’s  desire. 

When  we  bade  farewell  to  Richterfeldt,  it  was  in  the  firm 
conviction  that  the  principal  obstacles  to  the  expedition  bad  been 
removed  ; but  we  were  sadly  mistaken.  Under  different  pre- 
texts, the  natives  whom  we  had  engaged  suddenly  refused  to- 
proceed  any  further.  Even  the  man  who  had  first  drawn  our 
attention  to  the  lake  Omanbonde,  and  who  seemed  to  be  the 
only  one  acquainted  with  it,  threatened  to  leave  us.  Our  Cape 
servants,  also,  became  somewhat  sulky  and  discontented. 
Indeed,  two  of  them,  Gabriel  and  John  Waggoner,  whom  the 
reader  will  remember  as  having  already  given  us  some  trouble, 
demanded  and  obtained  their  dismissal.  Tims  circumstanced, 
it  was  out  of  the  question  to  think  of  immediately  carrying  our 
plan  into  execution.  We  felt  excessively  annoyed,  and  our 
stock  of  patience  was  well  nigh  exhausted.  Stili  we  did  not 
give  up  all  hope  of  ultimate  success. 

Barmen,  however,  was  ill-suited  as  an  encampment  ; for, 
though  agreeable  enough  as  a residence  for  ourselves,  grass  for 
the  cattle  was  scarce  and  distant.  Mr.  Hahn  advised  us  to  push 
on  to  Schrnelen’s  Hope,  situated  at  about  fifteen  miles  to  the 
northward,  wheye,  inasmuch  as  there  had  not  been  any  natives 
dwelling  of  late,  we  should  find  abundance  of  pasturage. 
Accordingly,  we  acted  on  his  suggestion,  and  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  13th  of  January  were  established  at  that  place. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SCHMELEN’S  HOPE SCENERY MISSIONARY  STATION RAID  OF  THE  NAMA- 

QUAS INGRATITUDE  OF  THE  NATIVES JONKER’S  FEUD  WITH  KAHI- 

CHENE  ; HIS  BARBARITIES  ; HIS  TREACHERY MR.  GALTON  DEPARTS  FOR 

EIKIIAMS AUTHOR’S  SUCCESSFUL  SPORTING  EXCURSIONS HECAPTURES  A 

YOUNG  STEINBOK  AND  A KOODOO THEY  ARE  EASILY  DOMESTICATED — • 

HYA3NAS  VERY  TROUBLESOME  ; SEVERAL  DESTROYED  BY  SPRING-GUNS 

THE  LATTER  DESCRIBED VISIT  FROM  A LEOPARD  ; IT  WOUNDS  A DOG  ; 

CHASE  AND  DEATH  OF  THE  LEOPARD THE  CARACAL. 

Schmelen’s  Hope  is  picturesquely  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Little  Swakop  and  just  at  the  confluence  of  one  of 
its  tributaries,  the  banks  of  which  were  lined  with  majestic 
trees  of  the  mimosa  and  the  acacia  family.  Some  of  these 
were  now  in  full  bloom,  and  presented  an  interesting  and  beau- 
tiful appearance.’  Heavy  showers  of  rain,  moreover,  having 
lately  fallen,  the  grateful  earth  acknowledged  the  tribute  by 
rapidly  sending  forth  her  boundless  store  of  aromatic  herbs  and 
plants — 

“ Herbs  for  man’s  use  of  various  power, 

That  either  food  or  physick  yield.” 

The  whole  aspect  of  the  country  changed  as  if  by  magic,  and  I 
gazed  on  the  altered  features  of  the  landscape  in  rapture  and 
amazement.  It  strongly  reminded  me  of  the  Psalmist’s  words — ■ 

“ His  rains  from  heaven  parch’d  hills  recruit, 

That  soon  transmit  the  liquid  store,  • 

Till  earth  is  burden’d  with  her  fruit, 

And  nature’s  lap  cau  hold  no  more.” 

Schmelen’s  Hope  (Schmelen’s  Vervachtung)  is  so  called,  partly 
on  account  of  its  advanced  position,  and  partly  in  honor  of  its 


MISSIONARY  STATION. 


!>3 

■ ■ 

founuer,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schmelen,  who,  by  all  accounts,  was  one 
of  the  most  gifted  and  most  enterprising  of  missionaries  that 
ever  set  foot  on  African  soil.  For  a time,  this  station  was  oc- 
cupied by  Mr.  Hahn  ; and,  recently,  by  his  colleague,  Mr. 
Kolbe.  About  the  time  that  we  landed  at  Walfisch  Bay,  how- 
ever, the  latter  had  found  it  necessary  to  beat  a precipitate 
retreat,  in  consequence  of  an  attack  upon  the  station  by  a party 
of  Namaquas. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Kolbe’s  settlement  at  Schmelen’s  Hope,  he 
was  joined  by  Kahichene — of  whom  mention  has  been  made  in 
the  foregoing  pages — and  a considerable  number  of  his  tribe. 
They  continued  to  live  here  in  the  most  unsuspecting  security. 
The  missionary  cause  made  considerable  progress,  and  hopes 
were  really  entertained  that  Damara-land  might  eventually  bo 
civilized.  The  golden  visions  of  a happy  future  for  this  unfor- 
tunate country  were,  however,  speedily  dispersed  by  the  sudden 
appearance  of  a party  of  Namaquas,  under  the  immediate  com- 
mand of  Jonker  Afrikaner.  By  this  band,  a great  number  of 
the  natives  were  massacred;  a considerable  booty  of  cattle  was 
carried  off ; and  Kahichene,  himself,  had  a hair-breadth  escape. 
Just  as  he  was  making  good  his  retreat,  he  wits  observed  and 
followed  by  a mounted  Namaqua.  On  finding  himself  hard 
pressed,  and  that  it  was  impossible  to  avoid  his  pursuer,  the 
chief  turned  quickly  round,  and  the  next  instant,  with  a poison- 
ed arrow,  laid  the  man  dead  at  his  feet. 

Many  acts  of  great  cruelty  were  perpetrated  on  this  occasion, 
of  which  the  following  may  be  cited.  Several  Damaras  had 
taken  refuge  on  the  summit  of  an  isolated  rock,  eighty  or  ninety 
feet  in  height.  As  soon  as  the  Namaquas  perceived  them,  they 
coolly  seated  themselves  round  the  base  ; and,  whenever  any  of 
the  poor  fellows  peeped  forth  from  their  hiding-places,  they 
were  shot  down  like  so  many  crows.  Mr.  Galton  and  myself 
visited  the  spot  soon  after  our  arrival  at  Schmelen’s  Hope,  and 
saw  the  bleached  bones  of  the  victims  scattered  about ; but  we 
were  unable  to  ascertain  the  exact  number  of  people  killed,  as 
the  jackals  and  hyaenas  had  carried  away  and  demolished  many 
parts  of  the  skeletons. 

Though  no  direct  attack  was  made  on  the  missionary  station, 
on  this  occasion,  Mr.  Kolbe,  nevertheless,  considered  it  would 
be  imprudent  to  remain  there  any  longer.  Accordingly,  pack- 
ing the  most  valuable  of  his  goods  on  his  wagon,  he  hurriedly 
departed  for  Barmen. 

A few  days  afterwards,  some  fugitive  Damaras  returned  to 
the  place  of  their  misfortunes,  and,  on  finding  the  house  aban- 


0 l 


„ONKEr’s  FEUD  WITH  KAHICHENi. 


dom'd,  they  were  base  enough  to  despoil  it  of  its  contents. 
Moreover,  what  they  could  not  themselves  use,  they  wantonly 
desuoyed  or  scattered  about  on  the  ground.  On  our  arrival  at 
Schmelen’s  Hope,  therefore,  we  found  nothing  remaining  but 
the  mere  shell  of  the  house.  This,  though  simply  constructed 
of  clay,  and  thatched  with  reeds,  was  rather  neatly  executed, 
and  had  apparently,  at  one  time,  been  the  exterior  of  a comfort- 
able dwelling. 

Water  was  obtained  from  a large  pool  or  vley,  vyhich,  how- 
ever, in  very  arid  years,  might  dry  away.  About  five  miles  up 
the  Swakop  was,  moreover,  a rather  copious  fountain,  called 
Okandu,  where  cattle  might  drink. 

Generally  speaking,  if  they  have  a chance  of  obtaining 
cattle,  the  Namaquas  are  not  at  all  nice  as  to  whether  they  rob 
friend  or  foe.  On  this  particular  occasion,  however,  they  were 
supposed  to  have  had  an  old  grudge  against  Kahichene  and  his 
tribe.  Once,  as  Jonker  and  a large  party  of  his  followers 
were  on  the  way  to  Walfisch  Bay,  their  provisions  failed  them  ; 
and  hearing  that  Kahichene,  with  whom  they  were  then  on 
friendly  terms,  was  in  the  neighborhood,  they  bent  their  steps 
towards  his  kraal.  Kahichene  received  them  civilly,  but  re- 
fused to  supply  their  wants.  He,  however,  advised  Jonker  to 
help  himself  to  cattle  from  another  Damara  chief,  who,  he  said 
(though  without  any  kind  of  foundation),  was  their  mutual 
enemy.  Jonker  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice,  but  immediately 
attacked  this  man’s  kraal.  In  the  fight  that  ensued,  some  of 
Kahichene’s  people  were  accidentally  killed;  but  he,  believing 
the  slaughter  had  been  intentionally  perpetrated,  made  a furious 
onset  on  Jonker  that  very  night.  As  usually  happens,  how- 
ever, and,  perhaps,  in  some  degree  owing  to  the  Damaras 
having  fewer  guns  than  the  Namaquas,  he  was  beaten  off  with 
very  severe  loss.  Though  the  affair  was  afterwards  made  up 
between  the  chiefs,  Jonker,  in  his  heart,  never  forgave  Kahi- 
"hene’s  attack  upon  him,  which  he  looked  upon  as  a breach  of 
"aith. 

In  all  the  attacks  of  the  Namaquas,  the  most  atrocious  bar- 
barities were  committed.  The  men  were  unmercifully  shot 
down  ; the  hands  and  the  feet  of  the  women  lopped  off;  the 
bowels  of  the  children  ripped  up,  etc.  ; and  all  this  to  gratify 
h savage  thirst  for  blood.  Many  poor  creatures  have  I myself 
seen  dragging  out  a miserable  existence,  that  had  thus  been 
deprived  of  limbs,  or  otherwise  cruelly  mutilated. 

Jonker  himself  would  seem  to  have  been  callous  to  all  the 
better  feelings  of  our  nature.  News  having  been  brought  to 


i 


SPORTING  EXCURSIONS. 


95 


him  on  one  occasion  of  the  loss  of  a merchant  vessel  (some- 
wnere  about  Cape  Cross),  lie  and  his  men  started  in  search  of 
the  wreck.  Before  reaching  it,  some  of  his  cattle  were  stolen, 
and  as  the  theft  was  conjectured  to  have  been  committed  by 
the  Damaras,  Jonker  sent  for  the  chief  of  the  suspected  tribe, 
received  him  in  a friendly  way,  and  invited  him  to  remain  in  his 
camp  for  the  night,  in  the  course  of  which,  however,  he  caused 
him  to  be  brutally  murdered.  Before  expiring,  the  poor  fel- 
low requested  permission  to  see  his  wife  and  children,  but 
Jonker  was  inhuman  enough  to  refuse  his  request.  On  re- 
ceiving a denial,  the  unfortunate  man  turned  towards  his 
slayer,  and,  wiping  the  blood  from  his  face,  exclaimed — 
“ Since  you  have  dealt  thus  treacherously  by  me,  and  even 
refused  to  allow  me  to  see  my  family,  you  shall  never  prosper  ; 
and  my  cattle,  which  I well  know  you  covet,  shall  be  a curse 
to  you  !” 

It  has  been  asserted  that  Jonker  once  contemplated  the 
extermination  of  all  grown  men  amongst  the  Damaras,  and  of 
dividing  the  women,  the  children,  and  the  cattle  amongst  his 
own  people,  hoping  thereby  to  make  his  tribe  the  most  power- 
ful in  that  part  of  Africa. 

On  the  16th  of  January,  Mr.  Galton  started  for  Eikhams, 
the  residence  of  Jonker  Afrikaner,  on  his  mission  of  peace.  He 
was  accompanied  by  Hans,  John  Mortar,  and  two  or  three 
native  servants. 

Two  days  later,  the  mules,  though  closely  watched,  managed 
to  elude  our  vigilance,  and  make  good  their  escape.  For- 
tunately, they  were  intercepted  at  Barmen,  whence  they  were 
kindly  sent  back  by  Mr.  Hahn.  Not  long  afterwards,  they 
again  went  of!';  but,  passing  Barmen  this  time  in  the  night,  no 
one  saw  them,  and,  consequently,  they  were  allowed  to  pursue 
their  course  uninterruptedly,  and  were  never  retaken.  Strange 
to  relate,  these  animals  (with  the  exception  of  two,  that  were 
destroyed  by  lions,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Richterfeldt)  ultimately 
found  their  way  back  to  Scheppmansdorf,  having  traveled  above 
two  hundred  miles  by  themselves  ! 

During  Mr.  Dalton’s  absence,  1 managed  to  beguile  the  time 
agreeably  and  usefully.  Indeed,  I spent  some  of  my  happiest 
days  in  this  quiet,  secluded,  and  charming  spot,  in  the  full 
enjoyment  of  unrestrained  liberty.  The  mornings  were  usually 
devoted  to  excursions  in  the  neighborhood  in  search  of  game. 
Of  quadrupeds,  we  had  the  giraffe,  the  gnoo,  the  gemsbok,  the 
springbok,  the  koodoo,  the  pallah,  the  steinbok,  etc. ; so  that  I 
had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  the  larder  pretty  well  supplied.  I 


SPRING-GUN  FOR  THE  HYAENA. 


y6 

also  made  many  an  interesting  and  valuable  addition  to  my 
collection  of  specimens  of  natural  history. 

One  day,  a young  steinbok  was  captured,  as  also  a koodoo, 
and  I was  fortunate  enough  to  rear  both. 

With  the  steinbok,  I had  very  little  trouble  ; a she-goat, 
whom  I deprived  of  its  kid,  having  taken  to  it  kindly,  and 
become  to  it  a second  mother.  The  koodoo  did  not  give  me 
much  more  trouble;  for,  after  a few  days,  during  which  milk 
was  given  to  it  with  a spoon,  it  would  of  itself  suck  from 
what  mothers  call  a “ feeding-bottle,”1  and  butt  and  pull  away 
at  it,  as  if  it  was  drawing  nourishment  from  the  teats  of 
its  dam. 

Both  the  steinbok  and  the  koodoo  were  very  pretty  crea- 
tures, and,  in  a short  time,  became  very  tame  and  affectionate. 
Their  lively  and  graceful  caperings,  and  playful  frolics,  were 
to  us  all  a source  of  much  amusement.  Their  end,  however, 
was  somewhat  tragical — the  steinbok  died  from  exhaustion 
after  a severe  day’s  march,  and  the  koodoo,  which  would  have 
been  a valuable  addition  to  the  beautiful  menagerie  in  Regent’s 
Park,  I was  obliged  to  kill,  because  we  could  not  obtain  a suffi- 
ciency of  proper  food  for  its  maintenance,  and  had  no  room 
in  the  wagon  for  its  conveyance.  It  grieved  me  much  to 
destroy  the  poor  creature,  but  there  was  no  alternative. 

Hyaenas,  called  wolves,  by  the  colonists,  were  very  numerous 
at  Schmelen’s  Hope,  and  exceedingly  audacious  and  trouble- 
some. More  than  once,  during  dark  and  drizzling  nights,  they 
made  their  way  into  the  sheep-kraal,  where  they  committed  sad 
havoc.  We  had  several  chases  after  them,  but  they  managed 
invariably  to  elude  us. 

To  get  rid  of  these  troublesome  guests,  we  placed  some 
spring-guns  in  their  path,  and  by  means  of  this  contrivance 
compassed  the  death  of  several. 

The  manner  in  which  the  spring-gun  is  set  for  the  hyaena  is 
as  follows : — 

Two  young  trees  are  selected  and  divested  of  their  lower 
branches,  or,  in  lieu  of  such,  a couple  of  stout  posts,  firmly 
driven  into  the  ground,  will  answer  the  purpose  equally  well. 
To  these  trees,  or  posts,  as  the  case  may  be,  the  gun  is  firmly 
lashed  in  a horizontal  position  and  with  the  muzzle  pointing 
slightly  upwards.  A piece  of  wood  about  six  inches  in  length 
— the  lever  in  short — is  tied  to  the  side  of  the  gun-stock  in  such 

1 A bottle  of  any  kind,  filled  with  milk,  and  with  a quill  (enveloped  in  linen) 
inserted  in  the  cork. 


. 


VISIT  FROM  A LEONARD. 


99 


a manner  as  to  move  slightly  forwards  and  backwards.  A short 
piece  of  string  connects  the  trigger  with  the  lower  part  of  the 
lever.  To  the  upper  extremity  of  the  latter  is  attached  a 
longer  piece  of  cord,  to  the  outer  end  of  which,  after  it  has 
been  passed  through  one  of  the  empty  ramrod  tubes,  is  tied  a 
lump  of  flesh,  which  is  pushed  over  the  muzzle  of  the  gun. 

These  matters  being  arranged,  a sort  of  fence,  consisting  of 
thorny  bushes,  is  made  around  the  spot : only  one  small, 
narrow  opening  being  left,  and  that  right  in  front  of  the  muzzle 
of  the  gun.  A “ drag,”  consisting  of  tainted  flesh,  or  other  offal, 
is  then  trailed  from  different  points  of  the  surrounding  country 
directly  up  to  the  “ toils.” 

When  the  hyaena  seizes  the  bait — which  she  can  only  do  by 
gaping  across  the  muzzle  of  the  weapon — and  pulls  at  it,  the 
gun  at  once  explodes,  and  the  chances  are  a hundred  to  one 
that  the  brains  of  the  beast  are  scattered  far  and  wide. 

During  our  stay  at  Schmelen’s  Hope,  we  not  unfrequently 
received  visits  from  leopards,  by  the  Dutch  erroneously  called 
“tigers” — under  which  denomination  the  panther  is  also  in- 
cluded. But  I do  not  believe  that  tigers — at  least,  of  the 
species  common  to  the  East  Indies — exist  on  the  African 
continent.  The  Damaras,  however,  assert  that  the  real  tiger 
is  found  in  the  country;  and  they  once  pointed  out  to  Mr. 
Rath  the  tracks  of  an  animal,  which  he  declared  to  me  were 
very  different  to  any  he  had  ever  before  seen  in  Africa,  and 
which  the  natives  assured  him  were  those  of  the  animal  in 
question. 

One  night,  I was  suddenly  awoke  by  a. furious  barking  of 
our  dogs,  accompanied  by  cries  of  distress.  Suspecting  that 
some  beast  of  prey  had  seized  upon  one  of  them,  I leaped, 
undressed,  out  of  my  bed — and,  gun  in  hand,  hurried  to  the 
spot  whence  the  cries  proceeded.  The  night  was  pitchy  dark, 
however,  and  I could  distinguish  nothing  ; yet,  in  the  hope  of 
frightening  the  intruder  away,  I shouted  at  the  top  of  my  voice. 
In  a few  moments,  a torch  was  lighted,  and  we  then  discerned 
the  tracks  of  a leopard,  and  also  large  patches  of  blood.  On 
counting  the  dogs,  I found  that  “ Summer,”  the  best  and  fleetest 
of  our  kennel,  was  missing.  As  it  was  in  vain  that  I called  and 
searched  for  him,  I concluded  that  the  tiger  had  carried  him 
away  ; and,  as  nothing  further  could  be  done  that  night,  I again 
retired  to  rest;  but  the  fate  of  the  poor  animal  continued  to 
haunt  me,  and  drove  sleep  away.  I had  seated  myself  on  the 
front  chest  of  the  wagon,  when  suddenly  the  melancholy  cries 
were  repeated  ; and,  on  reaching  the  spot,  I discovered  “ Sum- 


100  DEATH  OF  THE  BEAST THE  CARACAL. 

mer”  stretched  at  full  length,  in  the  middle  of  a bush.  Though 
the  poor  creature  had  several  deep  wounds  about  his  throat  and 
chest,  he  at  once  recognized  me,  and,  wagging  his  tail,  looked 
wistfully  in  my  face.  The  sight  sickened  me,  as  I carried  him 
into  the  house,  where,  in  time,  however,  he  recovered. 

The  very  next  day,  “Summer”  was  revenged  in  a very  unex- 
pected manner.  Some  of  the  servants  had  gone  into  the  bed  of 
the  river  to  chase  awTay  a jackal,  when  they  suddenly  encoun- 
tered a leopard  in  the  act  of  springing  at  our  goats,  which  were 
grazing,  unconscious  of  danger,  on  the  river’s  bank.  On  finding 
himself  discovered,  he  immediately  took  refuge  in  a tree,  where 
he  was  at  once  attacked  by  the  men.  It  was,  however,  not  until 
he  had  received  upwards  of  sixteen  wounds — some  of  which 
were  inflicted  by  poisoned  arrows — that  life  became  extinct.  I 
arrived  at  the  scene  of  conflict  only  to  see  him  die. 

During  the  whole  affair,  the  men  had  stationed  themselves  at 
the  foot  of  the  tree — to  the  branches  of  which  the  leopard  was 
pertinaciously  clinging — and,  having  expended  all  their  ammu- 
nition, one  of  them  proposed — and  the  suggestion  was  taken 
into  serious  consideration — that  they  should  pull  him  down  by 
the  tail  ! 

The  poorer  of  the  Damaras,  when  hard  pressed  for  food,  eat 
the  flesh  of  the  leopard,  the  hyaena,  and  many  other  beasts  of 
prey. 

The  caracal  (felis  caracal),  or  the  wild  cat,  as  it  is  generally 
called  in  these  parts,  was  not  uncommon  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Schmelen’s  Hope.  The  fur  of  this  animal  is  warm  and  hand- 
some, and  is  much  esteemed  by  the  natives,  who  convert  the 
skins  into  carosses,  etc. 

According  to  Professor  Thunberg,  who  gives  it  on  the  authori- 
ty of  the  Dutch  boers,  the  skin  of  the  caracal  is  also  “very  effi- 
cacious as  a discutient  when  applied  to  parts  affected  with  cold 
or  rheumatism.” 


CHAPTER  XII. 


WILD  FOWL  ABUNDANT THE  GREAT  BUSTARD THE  TERMITES WILD 

BEES MUSHROOMS THE  CHIEF  ZWARTBOOI— RETURN  OF  MR.  GALTON 

HE  MAKES  A TREATY  WITH  JONKER HE  VISITS  REHOBOTH MISDOINGS 

OF  J.OHN  WAGGONER  AND  GABRIEL CHANGE  OF  SERVANTS SWARM  OF 

CATERPILLARS A RECONNOITEEING  EXPEDITION THUNDER-STORM THE 

OMATAKO  MOUNTAINS ZEBRA  FLESH  A GOD-SEND — TROPICAL  PHENOMENON 

THE  DAMARAS  NOT  REMARKABLE  FOR  VERACITY ENCAMP  IN  AN 

ANT-HILL RETURN  TO  SCHMELEN’S  HOPE PREPARATIONS  FOR  VISITING 

OM&.NBONDE. 

We  never  fared  better  than  at  §chmelen’s  Hope.  Besides 
the  larger  game  mentioned,  our  table  was  plentifully  supplied 
with  geese,  ducks,  guinea-fowls,  francolins,  grouse,  and  so  forth. 
The  large  bustard  ( otis  kori,  Burch),  the  South  African paauw,  was. 
moreover,  very  abundant,  but  so  shy,  that  to  kill  it,  even  with 
the  rifle,  was  considered  a dexterous  exploit.  One  that  I shot, 
weighed  no  less  than  twenty-eight  pounds.  I have  since  re- 
peatedly killed  African  bustards  of  this  species  ; but  I never  saw 
a second  bird  that  attained  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  weight 
just  specified  ; usually,  they  do  not  exceed  fourteen  or  fifteen 
pounds.  The  flesh  is  very  tender  and  palatable  ; indeed,  to  my 
notion,  it  is  the  best  flavored  of  all  the  game  birds  found 
throughout  this  portion  of  South  Africa. 

It  being  now  the  breeding  season,  the  numerous  flocks  of 
guinea-fowls  in  the  neighborhood  afforded  us  a constant  supply 
of  fresh  eggs,  which,  as  has  been  said  elsewhere,  are  excel- 
lent. 

Schmelen’s  Hope  swarmed  with  termites,  or  white  ants1.  My 

1 For  a detailed  account  of  this  curious  and  interesting  insect,  see  Mr.  West- 
wood  (British  Cyclopedia) ; Mr.  Savage  ( Annals  of  Natural  History,  vol.  5, 
p.  92),  etc. 


102  WILD  BEE  S X HE  CHIEF  ZWARTBOOI. 


ideas  of  ant-hills  were  here,  for  the  first  time,  realized  ; for 
some  of  the  abodes  of  this  interesting,  though  destructive 
insect,  measured  as  much  as  one  hundred  feet  in  circum- 
ference at  the  base,  and  rose  to  about  twenty  in  height! 
Termites  are  seldom  seen  in  the  daytime  ; but  it  is  not  an 
unusual  thing,  after  having  passed  a night  on  the  ground,  to 
find  skins,  rugs,  etc.,  perforated  by  them  in  a hundred  different 
places. 

In  constructing  their  nests,  the  termites  do  not  add  to  them 
externally,  as  with  the  species  of  ant  common  to  England,  but 
enlarge  them  from  within  by  thrusting  out,  so  to  say,  the  walk 
Their  labors  are  commonly  carried  on  in  the  dark  ; and,  at 
early  morn,  each  night’s  addition  to  the  building  may  be  discov- 
ered by  its  moisture.  . “ They  unite,”  says  the  “ English  Cyclo- 
paedia,” “in  societies  composed  each  of  an  immense  number  of 
individuals,  living  in  the  ground  and  in  trees,  and  often  attacking 
the  wood-work  of  houses,  in  which  they  form  innumerable  gal- 
leries, all  of  which  lead  to  a central  point.  In  forming  these 
galleries,  they  avoid  piercing  the  surface  of  the  wood-work,  and 
hence  it  appears  sound,  when  the  slightest  touch  is  sometimes 
sufficient  to  cause  it  to  fall  to  pieces.”  This  is  a clear  and,  I 
have  no  doubt,  a correct  account.  I myself  have  often  been 
astonished  to  find  huge  trees,  apparently  sound,  crumble  to 
pieces  on  being  touched  by  the  hand. 

Wild  bees  very  frequently  make  their  nests  in  the  gigantic 
dwellings  of  the  termites.  In  some,  years,  bees  are  very  numer- 
ous. The  disposition  of  these  insects  would  appear  to  be 
unusually  quiet  and  forbearing.  Indeed,  I never  knew  a 
man  to  be  stung  by  them  when  robbing  their  nests.  Com- 
monly, these  are  smoked  in  the  first  instance;  but  just  as  often 
(as  I myself  have  many  times  witnessed)  they  are  fearlessly 
approached,  and  plundered  by  the  naked  savage  without  this 
precaution. 

It  is  another  interesting  fact  in  connection  with  the  dwellings 
of  the  termites,  that  during  the  rainy  season,  mushrooms  grow 
in  great  abundance  on  their  sides.  In  size  and  flavor,  these 
mushrooms  are  far  superior  to  any  found  in  Europe.  Care, 
however,  must  be  taken  in  selecting  them;  for  other  fungi  of  a 
poisonous  nature  are  almost  identical  in  appearance.  Two  of 
the  children  of  one  of  our  Damaras  were  very  nearly  killed  by 
eating  some  of  these  instead  of  mushrooms. 

On  the  6th  of  February,  I received  a visit  from  the  great 
Namaqua  chieftain,  named  William  Zwartbooi,  and  found  him  a 
a very  agreeable  old  personage.  He  had  met  Mr.  Galton  not  far 


THE  CHIEF  ZWARTBOOI.  3 03 

from  Eikhams,  who  had  sent  him  to  Schmelen’s  Hope  to  wait 
his  return. 

At  one  time,  this  chief  had  robbed  and  massacred  the  Dama- 
ras  in  precisely  a similar  way  as  Jonker  Afrikaner  ; but,  thanks 
to  the  exertions  of  the  missionaries,  he  had  been  gradually 
weaned  from  his  evil  practices,  and  was  now  living  on  excellent 
terms  with  Ins  neighbors. 

Jonker  and  Zwartbooi  associated  occasionally,  but  they  were 
by  no  means  well-disposed  towards  each  other.  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  the  latter  had  expressed  displeasure  at  his  friend’s 
inhuman  proceedings  against  the  Damaras,  Jonker  told  him, 
that  if  he  (Zwartbooi)  meddled  with  his  affairs,  he  would  pay 
him  such  a visit  as  would  put  a stop  to  his  devotions  and  make 
him  cry  for  quarter. 

Within  Zwartbooi’s  territory  was  a mountain,  called  Tans, 
where  horses  might  pasture  throughout  the  year  without  being 
exposed  to  the  “ paarde  ziekte,”  the  cruel  distemper  to  which 
these  animals  are  subject.  Almost  all  the  northern  Namaquas* 
Jonker  amongst  the  rest,  are  in  the  habit  of  sending  their  horses 
here  during  the  sickly  season. 

On  one  occasion,  when  Jonker  was  about  to  make  a “ raid’* 
on  the  Damaras,  he  sent  an  express  to  Zwartbooi  for  his 
horses  ; but  this  chief,  having  been  apprised  of  the  cause  for 
which  the  steeds  were  wanted,  refused  under  some  pretext  to  give 
them  up  ; and,  whilst  parleying,  the  favorable  opportunity  was 
lost.  It  seems  Jonker  never  forgave  Zwartbooi  this  act  of 
treachery,  as  he  called  it,  and  determined,  let  the  risk  be  what- 
ever it  might,  never  again  to  put  himself  in  another  man’s 
power. 

Two  days  after  Zwartbooi’s  arrival  at  Schmelen’s  Hope, 
Mr.  Galton  returned.  He  had  been  successful  beyond  his 
most  sanguine  expectations,  for  Jonker  had  not  alone  formally 
apologized  to  Mr.  Kolbe  for  his  brutal  behavior  at  Schmelen’s 
Hope,  but  had  expressed  regret  at  his  past  conduct,  and  had 
faithfully  promised  for  the  future  to  live  in  peace  and  amity 
with  the  Damaras.  Several  important  regulations  had,  more- 
over, been  proposed  by  my  friend,  and  approved  by  Jonker 
and  his  tribe,  with  a view  of  upholding  order  and  justice  in 
the  land  ; but  how  far  they  were  carried  out  the  sequel  will 
show. 

Fresh  messengers  had  also  been  dispatched  to  the  respective 
Namaqua  and  Damara  chiefs,  with  a request  that  they  would  at- 
tend a general  meeting  in  order  to  secure  to  the  country  a lasting 
peace.  We  could  not,  however,  induce  them  to  do  this.  The- 


104 


JOHN  WAGGONER. 


late  attacks  were  too  fresh  in  their  memory,  to  inspire  confidence 
in  either  party : each  distrusted  his  neighbor. 

Jonker  gave  Mr.  Galton  much  interesting  and  valuable  in- 
formation regarding  the  country  northwards.  He  had,  himself, 
made  two  or  three  expeditions  in  that  direction,  the  last  of 
which,  as  mentioned,  was  for  the  purpose  of  plundering  a vessel 
reported  to  have  been  wrecked  off  Cape  Cross. 

In  the  course  of  his  journey,  Mr.  Galton  visited  Rehoboth, 
a Rhenish  missionary  station,  and  the  residence  of  Wil- 
liam Zwartbooi.  The  mission  was  here  conducted  by  the 
Rev.  Messrs.  Kleinschmidt  and  Vollmer,  and  was  at  this  period 
the  most  flourishing  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the  coun- 
try. 

Here  my  friend  learnt  with  regret  that  John  Waggoner,  who,  as 
the  reader  may  remember,  was  dismissed  at  Barmen,  had  after- 
wards acted  very  disgracefully  and  dishonestly.  He  began  by  sell- 
ing the  same  sheep  to  a trader  three  times  over.  And,  just  as  Mr. 
Galton  arrived,  John  had  absconded  with  several  head  of  cattle, 
stolen  from  the  missionaries  and  the  natives.  My  friend  at  once 
started  off  in  pursuit  ; but  though  he  followed  on  his  track  for 
a day  and  a night,  he  was  obliged  to  return  without  having  been  j 
able  to  overtake  him. 

Wherever  John  Waggoner  went  he  represented  himself  as 
Mr.  Galton’s  servant,  and  affirmed  that  he  was  intrusted  with 
dispatches  of  moment  for  the  British  Government  at  the  Cape. 
He  added,  moreover,  that,  under  such  circumstances,  they  were 
in  duty  bound  to  assist  and  speed  him  on  his  way.  The  most 
•extravagant  reports  of  our  greatness  and  importance  had  already 
been  circulated  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  ! 
by  the  natives  themselves.  This,  together  with  John’s  impu- 
dent and  confident  air,  produced  the  desired  effect.  Horses,  cattle, 
wagons,  etc.,  were  everywhere  promptly  placed  at  his  disposal.  ; 
Even  the  missionaries  were  duped ; and  John  is  said  to  have 
reached  his  destination  enriched  with  spoils,  in  an  incredibly 
short  time.  His  first  act,  on  arriving  at  the  Cape,  was  to  en- 
gage himself  to  a trader,  who  imprudently  advanced  him  a 
considerable  sum  of  money,  which  he  coolly  pocketed  and  then 
decamped. 

Our  lad,  Gabriel,  also  marked  his  road  to  the  Colony  with 
many  traits  of  violence  and  insolence,  but  he  had  neither  the 
cunning  nor  the  impudence  of  his  associate.  . Jl 

Abraham  Wenzel,  the  thief,  had  again  behaved  improperly, 
,ctnd  Mr.  Galton  found  it  necessary  to  give  him  his  dismissal. 

We  had  thus,  in  a short  time  lost  the  services  of  three  men 


A RECONNOIXEKING  EXPEDITION. 


105 


but.  fortunately,  through  the  kindness  of  our  friend,  Zwartbooi, 
we  were  able  to  replact  (hem  by  two  others.  The  first  of  these 
was  his  own  henchman,  Onesimus,  who  was  a Damara  by  birth, 
but  had  been  captured  as  a child,  and  brought  up  amongst  the 
Namaquas.  He  spoke  the  language  of  these  two  nations  most 
fluently,  and  understood,  moreover,  a few  words  of  Dutch. 
What  with  his  capacity  as  an  interpreter,  his  even  temper  and 
general  good  behavior,  he  became  one  of  the  most  useful  men 
of  our  party. 

The  other  man,  Phillipus,  was  also  a Damara  by  birth, 
but  had  forgotten  his  native  tongue.  He  spoke,  however,  the 
Namaqua  and  the  Dutch  fluently.  He  was  appointed  a wagon- 
driver. 

One  morning,  to  our  surprise,  we  found  the  whole  ground 
about  our  encampment  covered  with  larvae  of  a dark-green  color. 
Whence  or  how  they  came  there  was  to  us  quite  a mystery.  We 
at  length  conjectured  that  at  some  previous  period  a swarm  of 
locusts,  in  passing  the  place,  had  deposited  their  ova  in  the  sand, 
and,  now  that  the  green  grass  began  to  spring  up  (which  provided 
them  with  suitable  food),  their  progeny  emerged  in  the  shape  of 
worms. 

At  the  same  time  many  thousand  storks  appeared,  and  evi- 
dently much  relished  the  rich  and  abundant  repast. 

Mr.  Galton’s  successful  remonstrances  with  Jonker  had  paci- 
fied the  excited  minds  of  our  Danmras.  It  had  inspired  them 
with  fresh  confidence,  and  they  no  longer  declined  to  accompany 
us.  The  worst  of  our  Cape  servants  had  been  weeded  out,  and 
their  places  filled  with  useful  and  competent  men.  Our  stud  of 
draught-oxen,  moreover,  had  been  greatly  increased,  to  say  no- 
thing of  a large  supply  of  live-stock.  Matters  thus  once  more 
looked  bright  and  cheering,  and  we  no  longer  hesitated  to  prose- 
cute our  journey.  Nevertheless,  before  making  the  final  arrange- 
ments, it  was  deemed  advisable  to  know  something  of  the 
country  immediately  in  advance  of  us,  and  how  far  it  was  prac- 
ticable for  wagons.  Dalton  having  just  returned  from  an 
excursion,  it  was  thought  only  fair  that  I should  undertake  to 
ascertain  this  point. 

Accordingly  I left  Schmelen’s  Hope  on  the  24th  of  February, 
on  ox-back,  accompanied  by  Timbo,  John  St.  Helena,  and  Johu 
Allen,  perhaps  the  three  most  trustworthy  and  useful  of  our 
" servants  ; as  also  a few  Damaras,  who  were  to  serve  me  as  guides 
and  herdsmen. 

On  the  first  night  after  leaving  Schmelen’s  Hope,  we  were 
visited  by  a terrific  thunder-storm,  accompanied  by  a deluge  of 


f 06 


THE  OMATAKO  MOUNTAINS. 


rain,  which  continued  without  intermission  till  four  o’clock  the 
next  morning. 

With  my  legs  drawn  up  under  my  chin,  and  the  caross  well 
wrapped  round  my  head,  I spent  this  dreadful  night  seated  on  a 
stone,  whilst  the  men,  strange  to  tell,  slept  soundly  at  my  feet 
in  a deluge  of  water.  The  next  day,  however,  was  bright  and 
warm.  The  earth  steamed  with  the  sweet  odors  of  a tropical 
herbage,  and  the  landscape  looked  so  beautiful  and  smiling,  that 
I felt  my  heart  leap  with  joy  and  gratitude  to  the  Giver  of  all 
good.  The  misery  of  the  night  was  soon  forgotten,  and  we  pro- 
ceeded cheerfully  on  our  journey. 

As  we  traveled  on,  we  caught  a glimpse  of  the  beautiful  cones 
of  Omatako,  which  rise  about  two  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  plain.  I scarcely  remember  having  ever  been  more  struck 
or  delighted  with  any  particular  feature  in  a landscape,  than 
when  these  two  “Teneriffes”  first  broke  upon  my  view. 

“ Then  felt  I like  some  watcher  of  the  skies, 

When  a new  planet  swims  into  his  ken.” 

We  must  have  been  fifty  or  sixty  miles  from  these  conical  moun- 
tains, yet  there  they  were,  as  distinct  as  if  we  had  stood  at  their 
base.  The  immense  distance  at  which  objects  can  be  seen  in 
these  regions,  in  a clear  atmosphere,  is  truly  marvelous. 

By  reference  to  the  map,  it  will  be  seen  that  we  were  now  on 
a high  table-land,  about  six  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  It  is  from  this  plateau  that  the  principal  rivers  of  Damara- 
land  take  their  rise. 

With  the  exception  of  a single  kraal  of  impoverished  Damaras, 
we  found  no  inhabitants.  On  leaving  Schmelen’s  Hope,  we  had 
been  led  to  suppose  that  we  should  meet  with  several  werfts  of 
wealthy  natives,  from  whom  we  might  obtain,  in  barter,  an  un- 
limited number  of  cattle.  We  foolishly  enough  trusted  to  this 
chance,  and  started  with  only  one  day’s  provision.  Game,  it  is 
true,  we  found  very  abuudant,  but  the  animals  were  very  wild 
and  I was  pressed  for  time,  and  could  not  give  chase  to  them. 
One  evening  I fired  at  a zebra — but,  not  distinguishing  the  pecu- 
liar sound  of  the  ball  when  striking  the  animal  (a  power  of  ear 
acquired  by  much  practice),  I supposed  I had  missed  it,  and, 
therefore,  did  not  follow  its  tracks.  On  passing,  however,  nearly, 
by  the  same  place  next  evening,  we  found  that  the  animal  had 
been  killed,  and,  excepting  the  head  and  part  of  the  neck,  was 
devoured  by  vultures.  The  conical  ball  I used  on  the  occasion, 
was  found  loose  in  the  inside  of  the  skeleton.  Notwithstanding 


TRACKS  OF  ELEPHANTS. 


107 


the  defiled  state  of  what  was  left  of  the  carcass,  we  hailed  it  as 
a perfect  god-send.  For  the  two  previous  days  we  had  been 
living  on  zebra-flesh,  in  a state  of  decay,  which  our  Damaras  had 
accidentally  picked  up.  Indeed,  our  guides  had  absconded  from 
want  of  food. 

One  evening,  when  very  much  fatigued  from  the  day’s  march, 
and  suffering  cruelly  from  thirst,  our  native  servants,  by  way  of 
consolation,  entertained  us  with  the  following  interesting  ac- 
count of  their  countrymen. 

“ The  Damaras,”  they  said,  “ are  now  watching  us  from  a dis- 
tance, and,  as  soon  as  we  shall  have  gone  to  sleep,  they  will 
suddenly  fall  upon  us,  and  assegai  us.” 

Timbo,  John  St.  Helena,  and  John  Allen,  evidently  believed 
them,  and  looked  wretchedly  uncomfortable.  As  for  myself — 
though  there  certainly  was  nothing  at  all  improbable  in  the  story 
— I felt  less  apprehensive  than  annoyed,  well  knowing  the  bad 
effect  it  would  have  on  the  timid  and  superstitious  minds  of  my 
men. 

On  the  third  day,  about  noon,  we  reached  the  northern  side  of 
Omatako,  where  we  struck  a small  periodical  river  of  the  same 
name.  To  our  dismay,  however,  we  found  it  perfectly  dry;  and,  as 
we  had  then  already  been  twenty-four  hours  without  a drop  of 
water,  I was  afraid  to  proceed  any  further.  J ust  as  we  were  about 
to  retrace  our  steps,  the  river,  to  our  inexpressible  delight,  came 
down  with  a rush.  To  those  of  my  readers  who  are  not  conver- 
sant with  the  mysteries  of  a tropical  climate,  it  may  appear  almost 
impossible  that  a dry  water-course  should  in  the  space  of  five 
minutes,  and  without  any  previous  indication,  be  converted  into 
a foaming  torrent  ; yet,  in  the  rainy  season,  this  is  almost  an 
every-day  occurrence.  Not  a cloud  obscured  the  transparent 
atmosphere  at  the  time  ; but  on  the  preceding  night  there  had 
been  vivid  lightning  and  heavy  thunder  in  the  direction  of  the 
source  of  the  river,  which  sufficiently  accounted  for  the  pheno- 
menon. 

On  this  river  I saw,  for  the  first  time,  the  gigantic  footprints 
of  elephants.  The  natives  told  me  that  these  animals  come 
here  in  great  numbers  in  the  winter-time,  and,  when  the  water 
begins  to  diminish,  they  return  slowly  northwards.  Hans 
assured  me  that  their  tracks  are  still  to  be  seen  as  far  south  as 
the  river  Svvakop,  close  to  its  embouchure. 

From  this  point  we  had  a very  good  prospect  of  the  country. 
Several  interesting  mountains  presented  themselves  to  the  view. 
To  the  north,  the  Konyati,  Eshuarneno,  la  Kabaka,  and  Omu 
vereoom.  stood  out  in  bold  relief.  Some  of  these  were  similar 


LOS  DIFFICULTY  OF  PROCURING  INFORMATION. 

to  that  of  Erongo,  and,  like  it,  inhabited  by  Hill-Damaras,  as 
also  a few  Bushmen. 

1 was  particularly  anxious  to  learn  something  of  the  country 
towards  the  north,  in  which  direction — as  before  said — our  route 
to  Omanbonde  lay  ; but  it  was  in  vain  that  I endeavored  to  get 
anything  like  correct  information  from  the  natives,  notwith- 
standing some  had  actually  been  living  there.  I was  excessively 
annoyed,  and  imagined  that  their  conflicting  accounts  were  pur- 
posely invented  to  deceive  and  frighten  me ; but,  as  I became 
more  intimate  with  the  Damara  character,  I found  that  they 
lied  more  from  habit  than  for  the  mere  sake  of  lying.  Indeed, 
a Damara  would  believe  his  own  lies,  however  glaring  and 
startling  they  might  be.  Thus,  for  instance,  they  informed  me 
that  the  mountain  Omuvereoom,  which  was  distinctly  visible, 
lay  ten  long  days’  journey  off,  and  was  inhabited  by  Hill- 
Damaras  and  Bushmen,  whom  they  represented  as  perfect  devils  ; 
moreover,  that  the  intervening  space  was  entirely  destitute  of 
water,  and  that  any  one  attempting  to  traverse  it  would  be  sure 
to  perish.  At  a subsequent  period,  we  not  only  reached  this 
mountain  after  fourteen  hours’  traveling,  but  found  an  abundance 
of  water  ; and  the  natives,  instead  of  being  monsters,  were  the 
most  timid  and  harmless  of  human  beings. 

This,  however,  is  only  one  of  the  hundred  instances  that  might 
be  mentioned  of  the  difficulty  of  eliciting  truth  from  the  Damaras. 
The  missionaries  had  been  living  for  several  years  at  Barmen 
and  Schmelen’s  Hope,  before  they  were  aware  of  the  existence 
of  either  “Buxton”  or  Okandu  fountain;  and  yet  these  places 
vere  within  a very  short  distance  of  the  stations,  and  they  had 
made  repeated  inquiries  after  springs. 

With  regard  to  the  distance  and  situation  of  Omanbonde,  the 
chief  object  of  our  journey,  they  oould  not  say  whether  one  or 
ten  weeks  would  be  required  in  order  to  reach  it.  One  man 
told  Galton  that  if  he  started  at  once  for  this  place,  and  traveled 
as  fast  as  he  could,  he  would  be  an  old  man  by  the  time  he  re- 
turned.1 

Returning  homewards,  we  pursued  a somewhat  different  course. 
The  first  night,  the  men,  for  the  sake  of  variety,  it  is  presumed, 
thought  fit  to  encamp  in  the  middle  of  an  ant-hill  ! I was  absent 
at  the  time,  and,  on  returning,  all  the  arrangements  had  been 

1 This  surpasses  the  graphic  answer  given  to  BjOrn  Jernsida  (the  bear  iron- 
side), a famous  Swedish  sea-king.  When  on  his  way  to  plunder  Rome,  he  inquired 
of  a wayfaring  man  what  the  distance  might  be.  “ Look  at  these  shoes,”  said  the 
traveler,  holding  up  a pair  of  worn-out  iron-shod  sandals  ; “ when  I left  the  place 
you  inquire  for,  they  were  new  ; judge  then  for  yourself!” 


RETURN  TO  S C H M E L E n’s  HOPE. 


10<* 

made  for  the  night.  Tired  as  we  were,  I could  not  well  think 
of  moving.  The  result  may  easily  be  imagined. 

The  next  day,  in  the  more  open  parts  of  the  country,  we  met 
with  a very  great  abundance  of  a kind  of  sweet  berry,  about  the 
size  of  peas,  which  afforded  us  a delicious  feast. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  we  found  ourselves  back 
at  Schmelen’s  Hope,  having  been  sixty  hours  on  the  move,  or, 
at  an  average,  twelve  hours  daily.  Allowing  three  miles  per 
hour,  at  the  lowest  estimation,  we  had  gone  over  a tract  of 
country  fully  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  in  extent,  the  greater 
part  of  which,  moreover,  had  been  performed  on  foot.  Under 
ordinary  circumstances,  we  should,  perhaps,  have  thought 
nothing  of  the  performance  ; but,  what  with  bad  living,  previous 
long  rest,  and  so  forth,  we  were  in  poor  condition  for  such  sud- 
den and  severe  exertions.  Indeed,  before  we  were  at  the  jour- 
ney’s end,  both  man  and  beast  were  completely  knocked  up. 

The  object,  however,  had  been  gained.  We  had  ascertained 
that  the  country,  for  several  days’  journey,  was  tolerably  open 
and  traversable  for  wagons  ; that  grass  abounded  ; and  that  (the 
most  important  point  of  all)  we  should  be  sure  of  water  for  our- 
selves and  cattle. 

No  time  was  now  lost  in  making  ready  for  a final  start.  An 
American,  who  had  long  been  in  Mr.  Hahn’s  service,  was  about 
to  travel  to  the  Cape  by  land.  Although  the  journey  was  sup- 
posed to  last  at  least  six  or  seven  months,  communication  was 
so  rare  in  these  parts  that  we  deemed  it  advisable  to  benefit  by 
it.  Letters  were  accordingly  written  to  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, as  also  dispatches  for  the  British  Government  at  the 
Cape. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

DEPART  FROM  SCHMELEN’S  HOPE MEETING  WITH  KAHICHENE— OXEN 

STOLEN SUMMARY  JUSTICE SUPERSTITION MEETING  AN  OLD  FRIEND 

-SINGULAR  CUSTOM GLUTTONY  OF  THE  DAMARAS HOW  THEY  EAT 

FLESH  BY  THE  YARD  AND  NOT  BY  THE  POUND SUPERSTITIOUS  CUSTOM 

A NONDESCRIPT  ANIMAL THE  AUTHOR  LOSES  HIS  WAY RAVAGES  OF 

THE  TERMITES “WAIT  A BIT,  IF  YOU  PLEASE” MAGNIFICENT  FOUNTAIN 

REMAINS  OF  DAMARA  VILLAGES HORRORS  OF  WAR MEET  BUSHMEN  , 

MEET  DAMARAS DIFFICULTIES  ENCOUNTERED  BY  AFRICAN  TRAVELERS  j 

REACH  THE  LAKE  OMANBONDE CRUEL  DISAPPOINTMENT. 

On  the  morning  of'  the  3rd  of  March,  we  left  Schmelen’s  Hope. 
The  alternately  rugged  and  sandy  nature  of  the  soil,  the  embar-  j 
rassing  thorn-coppices,  and  the  stubbornness  and  viciousness  of 
the  oxen,  rendered  our  progress  at  first  very  slow  and  tedious. 

On  the  fifth  day,  we  arrived  at  a splendid  vley,  called  Kotji- 
amkombti.  From  the  branches  of  the  trees  and  bushes  which 
lined  the  sides  of  this  piece  of  water,  were  suspended  innumer- 
able graceful  and  fanciful  nests  of  the  well-known  weaver-bird 
species.  The  rank  grasses  and  reeds  afforded  shelter  to  a great 
variety  of  water-fowl,  some  of  which  were  gorgeously  plumaged. 
Here  we  found  Kahichene  waiting  to  receive  us;  he  had  already 
announced  his  intention  to  visit  us,  and,  in  order  to  propitiate 
our  favor,  had,  a few  days  previously,  forwarded  us  a present  of 
several  head  of  cattle.  The  chief  was  accompanied  by  about 
forty  of  his  people,  who,  taking  them  as  a whole,  were  the 
finest  body  of  men  I have  ever  seen  before  or  since.  Yet  they 
were  all  arrant  knaves.  Kahichene  told  them  as  much  in  our 
presence;  but,  strange  to  say,  they  were  not  in  the  least 
abashed. 

This  tribe  had,  at  one  time,  been  the  richest,  the  most  nu- 
merous, and  the  most  powerful  in  the  country;  but  what  with. 


KAIITCHEfi'K. 


Ill 


their  own  civil  broils,  and  the  exterminating  wars  with  the 
Namaquas,  they  had  gradually  dwindled  to  about  twenty-five 
villages,  with,  perhaps,  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  head  of  horned 
cattle.1 

Notwithstanding  Kahichene,  in  former  days,  had  committed 
many  depredations  against  his  neighbors,  we  could  not  help  lik- 
ing him.  In  a very  short  time,  he  had  thoroughly  ingratiated 
himself  in  our  favor.  Indeed,  he  was  the  only  Damara,  whether 
high  oi  low,  for  whom  we  entertained  any  regard.  Perhaps, 
also,  his  late  misfortunes  had  insured  our  sympathy.  With  the 
missionaries,  Kahichene  had  always  been  a great  favorite,  and 
they  looked  upon  him  as  the  stepping-stone  to  the  future  civil- 
ization of  Damara-land ; but  we  have  already  seen  how  far  this 
was  realized. 

Kahichene  was  somewhat  advanced  in  years  ; but  his  deport- 
ment was  dignified  and  courteous.  He  was,  moreover,  truthful 
and  courageous — rare  virtues  amongst  his  countrymen.  It 
would  have  been  well  had  the  rest  of  the  nation  at  all  resembled 
this  chief. 

Kahichene  was,  at  this  period,  at  variance  with  a very  war- 
like and  powerful  tribe  of  Damaras,  under  the  rule  of  Omugunde, 
or  rather  his  son,  whom  he  represented  as  a man  degraded  by 
every  vice,  and  particularly  inimical  towards  strangers.  W - of 
course  made  due  allowances,  as  our  friend  was  speaking  of  his 
mortal  enemy  ; but  the  account  so  terrified  our  men,  that  three 
of  them  begged  to  be  dismissed,  and  they  could  only  be  per- 
suaded to  discontinue  their  solicitation'by  our  promising  them 
not  to  pass  through  the  territory  of  the  hostile  chief. 

On  one  occasion,  some  cattle,  belonging  to  Mr.  Hahn,  had 
been  stolen  by  a party  of  Omugunde’s  men.  Remonstrances  be- 
ing made,  they  were,  after  a time,  returned,  but  minus  their 
tails,  which  were  cut  off  by  the  natives,  and  kept  by  them  as 
“ trophies.” 

In  conflict  with  Omugunde,  several  of  Kahichene’s  children  had 
been  killed,  and  one  or  two  had  unfortunately  fallen  alive  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  These  were  kept  as  prisoners.  Only  one 
stripling  was  now  left  to  solace  Kahichene  in  his  old  age.  He 
informed  us  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  try  to  recover  his 
offspring  and  his  property,  or  to  die  in  the  attempt.  At  first, 
he  appeared  anxious  for  our  assistance  ; but,  on  mature  consider- 
ation, he  generously  refused  any  interference  on  our  part  in 

1 Previously  to  my  leaving  Africa,  1 learnt  that  the  entire  tribe  had  been 
broken  up. 


112 


SUMMARY  JUSTICE. 


his  behalf.  “ For,”  said  he,  “ when  once  the  war  begins,  there 
is  no  saying  when  or  where  it  will  end.  The  whole  country 
will  be  in  an  uproar;  much  blood  will  be  shed  ; and  it  would 
involve  you  in  endless  difficulties  and  dangers.”  He,  moreover, 
strongly  endeavored  to  persuade  us  from  proceeding  northwards 
at  all ; but,  in  that  matter,  he,  of  course,  failed. 

We  had  only  been  a short  time  at  Kotjiamkombe,  when  it 
was  discovered  that  four  of  our  best  draught-oxen  were  stolen 
by  some  stranger  Damaras.  On  being  informed  of  this  theft, 
Kahichene  became  exceedingly  annoyed,  and  even  distressed,  as 
he  considered  us  under  his  special  protection.  He  immediately 
dispatched  men  on  their  tracks,  with  strict  orders  to  recover  the 
oxen,  and,  if  possible,  to  bring  back  the  thieves.  They  suc- 
ceeded in  recapturing  all  the  beasts  but  one,  which  the  natives 
had  slain  and  eaten.  With  regard  to  the  fate  of  the  rogues,  we 
could  never  ascertain  anything  with  certainty.  We  were,  how- 
ever, strongly  inclined  to  think  they  were  all  killed — the  more 
so,  as  Kahichene  himself  told  us,  that  in  case  of  their  capture, 
they  ought  to  be  punished  with  death,  and  coolly  suggested 
hanging  as  the  most  eligible  way  of  ridding  the  world  of  such 
scoundrels.  We,  of  course,  took  the  liberty  to  remonstrate 
with  the  chief  upon  the  severity  of  this  measure  ; but  with  lit- 
tle or  no  effect.  Indeed,  one  man  was  accidentally  found,  at  a 
distance  from  our  camp,  in  a horribly  mangled  state ; and,  on 
being  brought  to  us,  he  stated,  that  he  himself,  together  with 
several  of  his  friends,  were  driving  away  the  cattle,  when  they 
were  overtaken  by  Kahichene’s  men,  who  immediately  attacked 
them  with  their  kieries,  and  only  left  them  when  they  thought 
life  was  extinct.  He  had,  however,  partially  recovered,  but 
was  completely  naked,  having,  as  is  usual  on  similar  occasions, 
been  stripped  of  every  article  of  dress.  The  exterior  of  his 
body  was  nearly  covered  with  blood.  The  head  was  almost 
double  its  natural  size  ; indeed,  it  resembled  rather  a lump  of 
mashed  flesh  ; no  particular  feature  could  be  distinguished,  and 
his  eyes  were  effectually  hidden  from  view.  The  sight  alto- 
gether was  hideous. 

Instead  of  proceeding  due  north,  as  was  originally  proposed, 
it  was  found  necessary,  in  order  to  avoid  Omugunde,  to  make  a 
considerable  detour  to  the  westward.  As  Kahichene,  with  his 
tribe,  was  encamped  in  that  direction,  he  invited  us  to  take  his 
werft  by  the  way,  to  which  we  cordially  assented.  On  the  day 
of  our  departure  from  Kotjiamkombe.  the  chief  led  the  way.  A 
branch  of  a particular  kind  of  wood  (having  a small,  red,  bitter 
berry,  not  unlike  that  of  the  mountain-ash)  was  trailed  before 


CARCASSES  OF  ASIMAL5  PUBLIC  PROPER BY.  113 

him — a superstitious  act  thought  to  be  essential  in  insuring 
success  during  the  pending  attack  against  his  mortal  enemy. 

Before  reaching  the  chief’s  kraal,  we  passed  the  foot  of  a very 
conspicuous  mountain,  called  Ombotodthu.  This  elevation  is 
remarkable  for  its  peculiar  red  stone,  which  is  eagerly  sought 
after  by  the  natives.  Having  reduced  it  to  powder  they  mix  it 
with  fat,  when  it  is  used  as  an  ointment.  1 was  at  first  struck 
by  its  great  resemblance  to  quicksilver  ore,  and  was  led  to  believe 
that  we  had  really  discovered  a mine  of  that  valuable  mineral. 
However,  on  considering  the  harmless  effect  it  had  on  the  na- 
tives, and  that,  had  it  been  quicksilver,  its  use  would  have  pro- 
duced an  opposite  result,  I came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
simply  oxide  of  iron,  which  has  since  been  confirmed  by  analyza- 
tion. 

On  arriving  at  Kahichene’s  werft,  we  were  well  received  by 
our  host  and  his  tribe,  from  whom  we  obtained  by  barter  a few 
head  of  cattle.  Indeed,  we  might  here  have  sold  all  our  articles 
of  exchange  to  great  advantage  ; but  this  was  not  thought  ad- 
visable, as  in  case  of  the  cattle  being  lost  or  stolen,  we  should 
have  been  in  a st&te  of  complete  destitution.  Could  we,  how- 
ever, have  foreseen  the  future,  our  tactics  would  have  been  differ- 
ent; for,  as  it  afterwards  turned  out,  this  was  almost  the  last 
opportunity  we  had  of  providing  ourselves  with  live-stock. 

By  a strange  chance,  I accidently  became  the  owner  of  a per- 
cussion rifle,  which  had  at  one  time  belonged  to  Hans,  but  who, 
years  previously,  had  disposed  of  it  to  a Damara.  . The  latter, 
however,  finding  that  he  could  not  obtain  a regular  supply  of 
caps,  offered  to  exchange  it  for  a common  flint-lock  musket. 
The  rifle  was  a very  indifferent  and  clumsy-looking  concern,  and 
had,  if  I remember  rightly,  been  manufactured  by  Powell,  of 
London.  Injustice  to  the  maker,  however,  I must  confess  that 
a man  could  not  possibly  wish  for  a better.  Whilst  in  my  pos- 
session, many  hundred  head  of  large  game,  to  say  nothing  of  a 
host  of  bustards,  geese,  ducks,  guinea-fowl,  etc.,  fell  to  this 
piece. 

Game  was  abundant  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kahichene’s 
kraal,  and  Hans  made  several  successful  shots.  Very  little, 
however,  of  what  was  killed  reached  us;  for  the  portion  not 
immediately  appropriated  by  the  Damaras,  ultimately  found 
its  way  to  them  through  the  medium  of  our  native  servants. 
In  Damara-land,  the  carcasses  of  all  animals— whether  wild 
or  domesticated — are  considered  public  property ; therefore, 
unless  the  natives  should  share  their  allowances  with  every 
stranger  that  might  choose  to  intrude  himself  into  their  com- 
8 


114 


PR  PARING  AND  E A f 1 IN  u viEAT. 


pany,  a withering  “ curse”  is  supposed  to  befall  them.  I have 
Been  the  flesh  of  four  zebras,  that  had  been  shot  by  our  party, 
brought  to  the  camp  in  a single  day,  and  the  next  morning  we 
could  not  obtain  a steak  for  our  breakfast. 

The  Damaras  are  the  most  voracious  and  improvident  crea- 
tures in  the  world.  When  they  have  flesh  they  gorge  upon  it 
night  and  day,  and  in  the  most  disgusting  manner,  until  not  a f 
particle  is  left ; and  as  a consequence,  they  not  unfrequently 
etarve  for  several  days  together.  But  they  are  so  accustomed  jj 
to  this  mode  of  living,  that  it  has  no  injurious  effect  on  them. 

In  this  hot  climate,  unless  preventives  of  some  kind  were 
adopted,  flesh  would,  of  course,  soon  become  tainted  ; and  as  I; 
salt,  from  the  difficulty  of  conveyance,  is  exceedingly  scarce 
in  Damara-land,  the  following  expedient  is  adopted.  As  soon 
as  the  animal  is  killed,  lumps  are  indiscriminately  cut  from  the 
carcass  ; a knife  is  plunged  into  an  edge  of  one  of  these  lumps, 
and  passed  round  in  a spiral  manner,  till  it  arrives  at  the  mid 
die,  when  a string  of  meat,  often  ten  to  twenty  feet  long,  is  pro- 
duced, which  is  then  suspended  like  festoons,  to  the  branches 
of  the  surrounding  trees.  By  cutting  the  flesh  very  thin,  it 
soon  dries,  and  may  in  that  state  be  carried  about  any  length  of 
time.  There  is  considerable  waste  in  this  process,  as  fully  one-  |j 
third  of  the  meat  thus  jerked  is  lost.  On  such  occasions,  the 
natives  take  care  not  to  forget  their  own  stomachs.  Besides  ! 
large  pots  filled  with  the  most  delicate  morsels,  immense  coils 
may  be  seen  frizzling  on  the  coals,  in  every  direction.  When  !' 
half-roasted,  they  seize  one  end  with  their  hands,  and,  apply- 
• ng  it  to  their  month,  they  tug  away  voraciously,  not  being 
over  particular  as  to  mastication.  In  this  way  they  soon  manage 
to  get  through  a yard  or  two,  the  place  of  pepper  and  salt  being 
supplied  by  ashes  attached  to  the  flesh,  which  ashes  are  more- 
over  found  to  be  an  excellent  remedy  agai  ,st  bad  digestion. 

I frequently  abserved  the  daughter  of  Kahichene’s  favorite 
wife  sprinkling  water  over  the  large  oxen  as  they  returned  to  { 
the  werft  about  noon  to  quench  their  thirst.  On  such  occasions 
she  made  use  of  a small  branch  of  some  kind  of  berry-tree,  such 
as  that  which  Kahichene  caused  to  be  trailed  after  him  when 
wishing  to  be  successful  in  his  attack  on  Omugunde.  In  this 
instance  (as  they  somewhat  poetically  expressed  themselves)  the 
aspersion  was  supposed,  should  the  cattle  be  stolen,  to  have  the 
power  of  scattering  them  like  drops  of  water,  in  order  to  confuse 
tneir  pursuers,  and  to  facilitate  their  return  to  the  owners. 

On  the  18th  of  March  we  were  again  era  route.  It  was  with 
legret  that  we  parted  with  our  friendly  and  hospitable  host. 


A N.N.  DESCRIPT  ANIMAL. 


lid 


Poor  Kahichene  we  were  doomed  never  to  meet  again  ! A few 
months  after  our  departure  he  made  an  attack  on  Omugunde; 
but  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  fight,  and  when  every- 
thing promised  success,  Ids  dastardly  followers  (as.  he  always 
had  predicted)  left  him.  But  too  proud  himself  to  fly,  he  fell, 
mortally  wounded,  pierced  with  a shower  of  arrows. 

Being  in  advance  of  the  wagons,  I suddenly  came  upon  an 
animal,  which,  though  considerably  smaller,  much  resembled  a 
lion  in  appearance.  Under  ordinary  circumstances,  I should 
ceitainly  have  taken  it  for  a young  lion  ; but  1 had  been  for- 
merly given  to  understand  that,  in  this  part  of  Africa,  there  exists 
a quadruped  which,  in  regard  to  shape  and  color,  is  like  the 
lion,  but,  in  most  other  respects,  totally  distinct  from  it.  The 
beast  in  question  is  said  to  be  nocturnal  in  its  habits,  to  be  timid 
and  harmless,  and  to  prey  for  the  most  part  on  the  small  species 
of  antelopes.  In  the  native  language  it  is  called  Onguirira,  and 
would,  as  far  as  I could  see,  have  answered  the  description  of  a 
puma.  As  it  was  going  straight  away  from  me,  I did  not  think 
it  prudent  to  fire. 

immense  quantities  of  game  were  now  observed ; but  the 
country  was  open,  and  ill-adapted  for  stalking ; and,  having  no 
horses,  it  was  difficult  to  get  within  range.  A few  springboks, 
however,  were  killed.  I also  shot  a hartebeest ; but,  having 
been  obliged  to  leave  it  for  about  an  hour,  I found,  on  my  return, 
that  it  had  been  entirely  devoured  by  vultures ; but  as  they 
could  not  manage  to  eat  the  bones,  our  men  consoled  themselves 
by  sucking  them.  The  flesh  of  the  hartebeest  is  considered  ex- 
tremely palatable. 

The  next  day  we  rounded  the  cones  of  Omatako,  but  to  my 
great  astonishment,  the  river  of  that  name,  although  running 
breast  high  on  my  visit  to  it,  about  a fortnight  previously,  was 
now  perfectly  dry.  Fortunately,  a pool  still  remained  on  its 
left  bank. 

The  estimate  of  the  Damaras  as  to  the  distance  between  the 
mountains  Omatako  and  Omuvereoom,  of  which  mention  was 
recently  made,  was  now  reduced  from  ten  to  three  long  days’ 
journey.  These  men  still  said  that  the  intervening  country 
was  destitute  of  water.  We  dared  no  longer  trust  to  their  con- 
flicting and  unsatisfactory  accounts;  but,  in  order  to  enable  us 
to  judge,  in  a measure,  for  ourselves.  Gal  ton  rode  to  the  neigh- 
boring mountain,  Eshuameno,  whence,  from  its  advanced  and 
isolated  position,  a good  view  of  the  country  was  likely  to  be 
obtained.  After  the  absence  of  a day  and  a night,  he  returned 
with  favorable  news.  By  means  of  a rough  triangulation,  he 

la  \ •*—  _ - -- 


116 


THE  AUTHOR  LOSES  HIS  WAV 


had  ascertained  that  Omuvereoom  could  not  possibly  be  distant 
above  twelve  or  fourteen  hours’  traveling.  To  the  north  and 
west  of  Omuvereoom,  the  country  appeared  as  one  unbounded 
plain,  only  covered  by  brushwood.  Eastward,  grass  and  trees 
were  abundant.  This,  together  with  a timely  tall  of  rain,  at 
once  determined  us  to  make  the  attempt. 

On  the  morning  of  our  departure,  a bitterly  cold  wind  swept 
over  the  dreary  wastes,  and  suddenly  reminded  us  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  winter  season.  Hitherto  a shirt  and  a pair  of 
trowsers  had  been  enough  to  protect  our  bodies,  but  this  day 
an  addition  of  thick  flannel  and  a warm  pea-jacket  were  found 
to  be  insufficient. 

One  evening,  as  Hans  and  myself  were  giving  chase  to  a troop 
of  giraffes,  we  were  overtaken  by  darkness,  and,  in  the  heat  of 
pursuit,  had  completely  lost  our  way.  Hans  being  the  most 
experienced  of  the  two,  I blindly  abandoned  myself  to  his  in- 
stinct and  guidance.  After  a while,  however,  it  struck  me  we 
were  actual^  retracing  our  steps  to  Omatako,  and  I told  him 
so,  but  he  only  laughed  at  my  apprehensions.  Still,  the  more 
I considered  the  matter,  the  more  I became  convinced  that  we 
were  pursuing  a wrong  course.  In  order,  therefore,  to  split  the 
difference,  I proposed  to  Hans  that  if  in  about  an  hour  he  did 
not  find  any  indications  of  our  whereabouts,  he  should  permit 
me  to  act  as  “ pilot”  for  the  same  space  of  time  ; and  that  if  I 
were  equally  unsuccessful  as  himself  we  should  quietly  wait  for 
the  return  of  daylight.  Hans  was  skeptical,  and,  shaking  his  head, 
grudgingly  gave  his  consent.  His  hour  having  elapsed  without 
gaining  the  object  of  our  search,  I wheeled  right  round  to  his 
great  disapproval,  and  walked  as  hard  as  I could  in  an  exactly 
opposite  direction.  Singularly  enough,  only  two  or  three  min- 
utes were  wanting  in  completing  my  hour,  when  I was  sud- 
denly and  agreeably  surprised  to  find  my  foot  in  the  deep  track 
made  by  the  wheels  of  the  wagons.  Nothing  could  have  been 
more  fortunate,  for  I struck  it  precisely  at  a right  angle.  An- 
other half-an-hour’s  walk  brought  us  safe  to  our  bivouac,  where, 
over  a substantial  dinner,  we  joked  Hans  on  his  singular  obsti- 
nacy. His  pride  as  a skillful  woodsman  had  received  a severe 
blow  ; and  he  would,  at  intervals,  shrug  his  shoulder  and  repeat 
broken  sentences  of  “ Well,  I am  sure!  It’s  too  bad  and  so 
forth. 

The  day  after  this  little  adventure,  we  continued  our  j-ourney  ; 
and,  in  the  afternoon,  found  ourselves  safe  at  the  foot  of  the 
southern  extremity  of  Omuvereoom,  and  its  sister  hill,  la 
Kabaka.  from  which  ii  is  onlv  separated  by  a narrow  valley. 


THE  “WAIT-A-BIT”  THORN.  117 

We  “ outspanned”  at  a small  vley,  where,  for  the  first  time,  1 
observed  the  willow  tree — an  agreeable  reminiscence  of  my 
native  land.  The  water,  however,  was  of  the  most  abominable 
quality,  being  apparently  much  frequented  by  wild  animals, 
who  had  converted  the  pool  into  something  like  what  we  see  in 
pa  farm-yard. 

At  this  place  we  had  a striking  instance  of  the  fearful  ravages 
which  termites  are  capable  of  committing  in  an  incredible  short 
i time.  In  the  early  part  of  the  day,  after  our  arrival,  Mr.  Gal- 
ton  and  Hans  started,  on  foot,  with  the  intention  of  ascending 
Omuvereoom.  In  consequence  of  a sudden  and  distressing  pain 
in  my  side,  I was  unable  to  accompany  them,  and,  in  the  hope 
of  obtaining  a little  ease,  made  a sort  of  extempore  couch  on 
the  ground,  covering  it  with  a plaid.  On  rising  after  a while,  1 
discovered,  to  my  dismay  and  astonishment,  that  my  bedding 
had  been  completely  cut  to  pieces  by  the  destructive  insects  ; 
and  yet,  when  I first  laid  down,  not  one  was  visible. 

Early  the  next  morning,  we  pushed  on  to  a large  vley, 
upwards  of  a mile  in  length,  the  finest  sheet  of  standing  water 
we  had  yet  seen  in  Damara-land.  It  was  swarming  with  geese 
and  ducks.  The  vegetation  had  a very  tropical  appearance  ; 
several— Go  us — new  trees  and  plants,  without  thorns,  presented 
themselves,  and  we  began  to  flatter  ourselves  that  we  had  at 
last  passed  the  boundary-line  of  those  thorny  woods,  which  had 
so  long  and  pertinaciously  harassed  us.  In  this,  however,  we 
were  disappointed.  The  very  next  day  we  entered  a region  far 
worse  than  any  we  had  yet  seen,  which,  indeed,  bade  fair  to 
stop  us  altogether.  Our  poor  cattle  were  cruelly  lacerated,  and 
it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  we  succeeded  in  getting  the 
wagons  through.  I counted  no  less  than  seven  distinct  species 
of  thorny  trees  and  bushes,  each  of  which  was  a perfect 
“ Wacht-een-bigte,”  or  “ Wait  a little,”  as  the  Dutch  colonists 
very  properly  call  these  tormentors.  Few  individuals  have  ever 
traveled  in  the  more  northerly  parts  of  Southern  Africa,  without 
being  greeted  with  a friendly  salutation  of,  “ Stop  a little,  if 
you  please  ;”  and  fewer  still,  who  have  disregarded  this  gentle 
hint,  ever  came  away  without  first  paying  a forfeit  of  some  part 
or  other  of  their  dress.  Indeed,  the  fish-hook  principle  on 
which  most  of  the  thorns  are  shaped,  and  the  strength  of  each, 
make  them  most  formidable  enemies.  At  an  average,  each 
prickle  will  sustain  a weight  of  seven  pounds.  Now,  if  tin 
reader  will  be  pleased  to  conceive  a few  scores  of  these  to  lay 
hold  of  a man  at  once,  I think  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  imagine 
the  consequences.  Indeed,  on  out  return  to  Barmen,  after  a 


US 


REMAINS  OF  DAMARA  VILLAGES. 


few  months’  absence  I possessed  hardly  a decent  article  of  cloth- 
ing ; and  had  not  Mr.  Hahn  kindly  taken  pity  on  my  forlorn 
condition,  I am  afraid  there  would  soon  have  been  little  differ- 
ence between  me  and  the  savages. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  we  arrived  at  a magnificent  foun 
rain,  called  Otjironjuba — the  Calabash — on  the  side  of  Omu 
vereoom.  Its  source  was  situated  fully  two  hundred  feet  ab  ve 
the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  took  its  rise  from  different  spots ; 
but,  soon  uniting,  the  stream  danced  merrily  down  the  cliffs. 
These  cascades,  falling  to  the  plain  below,  flowed  over  a bed  of 
red  gravel.  A gigantic  fig-tree  had  entwined  its  roots  round 
the  scattered  blocks  of  stone  by  the  side  of  Otjironjuba  foun- 
tain, its  wide  and  shady  branches  affording  a delicious  retreat 
during  the  heat  of  the  noon-day  sun.  It  bore  an  abundance  of 
fruit ; but  it  was  not  yet  the  season  for  figs.  Several  half-ripe 
ones  that  I opened  contained  a large  quantity  of  small  ants,  and 
even  wasps.  Great  caution,  therefore,  is  necessary  in  eating 
them. 

Otjironjuba  was,  to  us,  a perfect  paradise.  We  enjoyed  it 
the  more  on  account  of  the  marked  contrast  it  presented  to  the 
country  we  had  previously  traversed. 

At  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  we  discovered  the  remains  of  a 
large  Hill-Damara  kraal.  A considerable  extent  of  land  had  at 
one  time  been  carefully  cultivated,  and  a few  young  calabashes 
and  pumpkins  were  still  seen  springing  up  from  the  parent 
stock  of  the  preceding  season.  The  day  after  our  arrival  one 
or  two  natives  came  to  visit  us,  and  no  doubt,  also,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ascertaining  who  and  what  we  were.  We,  of  course, 
entertained  them  well;  and,  at  parting,  gave  them  a few 
trifling  presents,  with  a request  that  they  would  soon  return 
with  the  remainder  of  their  tribe,  in  order  that  we  might  buy 
from  them  some  goats,  which,  from  the  surrounding  evidences, 
they  must  have  possessed  in  great  numbers.  The  fresh  tracks 
of  a few  horned  cattle  were  also  to  be  seen.  However,  our 
friends  never  came  back,  nor  did  we  encounter  any  more  of  the 
natives. 

Whilst  sauntering  about  the  place,  we  stumbled  upon  several 
deserted  Damara  villages;  and  our  native  servants  now  told  us 
that,  after  the  late  attack  on  Schmelen’s  Hope  by  Jonker, 
Kahichene  and  his  tribe  had  fled  with  the  remainder  of  their 
cattle  to  this  secluded  spot ; and  yet,  a short  time  previously 
they  had  positively  asserted  that  the  country  was  impassable 
for  man  and  beast ! They,  moreover,  informed  us  that  several 
bloody  fights,  or  rather  massacres,  had  at  that  time  taken  place 


THE  BUSKMEM 


1J9 


between  the  contending  parties  ; and  that,  whenever  a man, 
woman,  or  child  was  met,  and  the  deed  could  be  perpetrated 
with  impunity,  they  were  cruelly  murdered.  These  sanguinary 
outrages  were  sometimes  inflicted,  they  said,  by  the  Damaras, 
and  at  others  by  the  Hill-Damaras. 

I climbed  to  the  top  of  the  Omuvereoom,  whence  1 had  a 
very  extensive  view  of  the  country  to  the  eastward;  but, 
excepting  a few  periodical  water-courses  which  originated  in 
the  sides  of  the  mountain,  nothing  but  an  immense  unbroken 
bush  was  to  be  seen.  It  was  in  vain  that  I strained  my  eyes  to 
catch  a glimpse  of  Omanbonde,  which  we  were  told  lay  only 
about  five  days’  journey  hence,  and  at  the  northern  extremity 
of  Omuvereoom. 

Elephants  occasionally  visited  this  neighborhood,  and  even 
breed  near  a fountain  somewhat  further  to  the  northward. 

After  having  spent  a couple  of  days  very  pleasantly  at 
Otjironjuba  fountain,  we  for  a short  time  followed  the  course 
of  the  rivulet  which  has  its  rise  there  ; but  it  was  soon  lost  in 
a marsh. 

On  the  second  day  of  our  departure,  we  came,  unobserved, 
upon  a few  Bushmen,  engaged  in  digging  for  wild  roots,  and 
succeeded  in  capturing  a man  and  woman,  whom,  with  some 
difficulty,  we  persuaded  to  show  us  the  water.  The  dialect  of 
these  people  was  so  different  to  any  we  had  yet  heard,  that, 
notwithstanding  our  two  excellent  interpreters,  we  could  with 
difficulty  understand  them.  However,  by  a good  deal  of  cross- 
questioning, we  managed  to  make  out  that  they  had  both  been 
to  Omanbonde,  which  they  called  Saresab  ; that  the  “ water  was 
as  large  as  the  sky,”  and  that  hippopotami  existed  there.  The 
man,  moreover,  said,  that  he  would  conduct  us  to  the  lake;  but 
this  was  only  a ruse,  for,  in  the  course  of  the  night,  both  he  and 
his  wife  absconded. 

Our  doubts  and  anxiety  increased  as  we  approached  nearer 
and  nearer  the  inland  sea,  and  all  our  thoughts  were  concen- 
trated in  the  single  idea  of  the  lake.  The  Bushman’s  story,  of 
the  water  being  “ as  large  as  the  sky,”  wrought  greatly  on  our 
expectation. 

“ Well,  Andersson,  what  should  you  suppose  this  lake’s  great- 
est length  to  be,  eh?”  said  Galton.  “Surely  it  cannot  cover 
less  than  fifteen  miles  anyhow;  and  as  for  its  breadth,  it  is  no 
doubt,  very  considerable,  for  the  Hottentots  declare  that,  if  you 
look  at  a man  from  the  opposite  shore,  he  appears  no  bigger 
than  a crow.” 

It  would  have  been  well  for  us  had  we  been  less  sanguine. 


120 


TRAVERSING  PRIMEVAL  FORESTS. 


As  we  journeyed  on  a course  somewhat  parallel  with  Omu 
vereoom,  we  fell  in  with  a sort  of  vley  river — if  river  it  could 
be  called,  since  it  consisted  alternately  of  dry,  open  spaces  and 
deep  gullies.  Both  banks  of  this  peculiar  water-course  were 
hemmed  in  by  one  vast  thorn-jungle,  which  seemed  to  defy  the 
passage  of  man  or  beast.  It  was  doubly  fortunate,  therefore, 
that  we  met  this  river,  as  its  sides  served  as  a good  and  open 
road,  while  a plentiful  supply  of  water  was  afforded  by  the  oc- 
casional pools.  It  was  here,  at  last,  that  we  arrived  at  some 
Damara  villages,  on  the  fifth  day  after  leaving  Otjironjuba.  At 
first,  the  natives  tried  to  run  away;  but  we  captured  a few 
women,  which  soon  induced  the  men  to  return.  These  people 
had  never  before  seen  a white  man  ; and  our  sudden  appearance, 
therefore,  created  no  small  astonishment,  not  to  say  conster- 
nation. But  of  all  our  property,  nothing  amused  them  more 
than  the  sight  of  a looking-glass.  On  finding  that  the  mirror  faith- 
fully reflected  the  smallest  of  their  motions  or  gesticulations, 
they  became  convulsed  with  laughter;  and  some  of  them  were 
so  excited,  as  to  throw  themselves  on  the  ground,  pressing  their 
hands  against  their  stomachs.  Others  would  approach  with 
their  faces  to  the  glass,  as  close  as  they  could,  then  suddenly 
turn  it  round,  fully  expecting  somebody  at  its  back.  It  is  a 
great  pity  that  the  Damaras  are  such  unmitigated  scoundrels,  for 
they  are  full  of  fun  and  merriment.  Give  them  a “ yard  of 
meat,”  and  a bucket  of  water,  and  they  are  the  happiest  crea- 
tures on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

After  some  parleying,  a man  agreed  to  guide  us  to  the  lake. 
An  afternoon’s  further  traveling  brought  us  to  a second  werft, 
the  captain  of  which  was  the  jolliest  and  the  most  amusing 
Damara  that  we  ever  saw  before  or  since.  He  mimicked  the 
figure  and  the  actions  of  the  hippopotamus  so  admirably,  that 
we  should  never  have  mistaken  the  animal,  even  had  we  not 
known  a word  of  the  language.  He  also  gave  us  an  amusing 
and  laughable  account  of  the  people  to  the  north. 

One  day  more,  and  the  goal  of  our  hopes  and  anxieties  would 
be  realized  ! We  carefully  examined  our  mackintosh  punt  to 
see  that  it  was  sound,  as  we  fully  purposed  to  spend  a few  weeks 
on  the  shores  of  Omanbonde,  in  order  to  enjoy  some  fishing  and 
shooting. 

By  this  time,  we  had  lost  sight  of  Omuvereoom,  which  gradu- 
ally dwindled  into  a mere  sand-ridge,  and  was  now  identified 
with,  the  plain.  The  vley  river,  just  mentioned,  which  had  so 
long  befriended  us,  we  also  left  behind,  and  were  now  traveling 
across  a very  sandy  tract  of  country.  Fortunately,  though  the 


OMANBONDfi 


321 


bushes  were  very  thick,  only  a few  were  thorny.  Moreover, 
their  wood,  which  was  quite  new  to  us,  was  of  so  brittle  a 
nature  that,  although  trees  from  five  to  six  inches  in  diameter 
repeatedly  obstructed  our  path,  our  ponderous  vehicles  crushed 
them  to  the  ground  like  so  many  rotten  sticks.  An  European 
can  form  no  conception  of  the  impracticable  country  one  inis  to 
travel  over  in  these  parts,  and  the  immense  difficulties  that  must 
be  surmounted.  To  give  a faint  idea  of  the  obstructions  of  this 
kind  of  traveling,  we  will  suppose  a person  suddenly  placed  at 
the  entrance  of  a primaeval  forest  of  unknown  extent,  never  trod- 
den by  the  foot  of  man,  the  haunt  of  savage  beasts,  and  with 
soil  as  yielding  as  that  of  an  English  sand-down  ; to  this  must 
be  added  a couple  of  ponderous  vehicles,  as  large  as  the  coal- 
vans  met  with  in  the. streets  of  London,  only  a great  deal  stouter 
— to  each  of  which  are  yoked  sixteen  or  twenty  refractory,  half- 
trained  oxen.  Let  him  then  be  told — “ Through  yonder  wood 
lies  your  road  ; nothing  is  known  of  it.  Make  your  way  as  well  as 
you  can  ; but,  remember,  your  cattle  will  perish  if  they  do  not 
get  water  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  days.” 

No  greater  calamity  could  possibly  befall  us,  than  the  break- 
ing of  an  axle-tree  at  a distance  from  water.  Therefore,  every 
time  the  wagons  struck  against  a tree,  or  when  the  wheels 
mounted  on  a stone,  several  feet  in  height — from  which  they 
descended  with  a crash  like  thunder — I would  pull  up  abruptly, 
and  hold  my  breath  till  all  danger  was  over,  when  a weight, 
like  that  of  the  nightmare,  fell  from  my  mind.  However,  in 
the  course  of  time,  we  became  tolerably  accustomed  to  the 
hazards  that  beset  us,  and  looked  almost  with  indifference  on 
the  dangers  which  constantly  threatened  destruction  to  our 
conveyances. 

About  noon,  on  the  5th  of  April,  we  were  rapidly  approach- 
ing Omanbonde  ; but,  oh,  how  were  we  disappointed  ! My 
heart  beat  violently  with  excitement.  The  sleepy  motion  of  the 
oxen,  as  they  toiled  through  the  heavy  sand,  being  far  too  slow 
for  my  eagerness  and  excited  imagination,  I proceeded  consider- 
ably in  advance  of  the  wagons,  with  about  half-a-dozen 
Damaras,  when  all  at  once  the  country  became  open,  and  I 
found  myself  on  some  rising  ground,  gently  sloping  towards  the 
bed  of  what  I thought  to  be  a dry  water-course. 

“There!”  suddenly  exclaimed  one  of  the  natives — “ there  is 
Omanbonde !” 

“ Omanbonde!”  I echoed,  almost  in  despair;  “ but  where,  in 
the  name  of  heaven,  is  the  water  V” 

I con'd  say  no  more  for  mv  heart  failed  me.  and  I sat  down 


1 22 


CRUEL  DISAPPOINTMENT. 


till  the  wagons  came  up ; when-,  pointing  to  che  dry  river-bed, 
I told  Galton  that  he  saw  the  Lake  before  him. 

“Nonsense!”  he  replied;-  “it  is  only  the  end  or  tail  of  it 
which  you  see  there.” 

After  having  descended  into  the  bed,  we  continued  to  travel, 
at  a rapid  pace,  about  a mile  in  a westerly  direction,  when,  at 
a bend,  we  discovered  a large  patch  of  green  reeds.  At  this 
sight,  a momentary  ray  of  hope  brightened  up  every  counte- 
nance ; but  the  next  instant  it  vanished,  for  we  found  that  the 
natives  were  actually  searching  for  water  amongst  the  rushes  ! 

The  truth  at  last  dawned  upon  us.  We  were  indeed  at 
Omanbonde — the  lake  of  hippopotami ! We  all  felt  utter  pros- 
tration of  heart.  For  a long  while  we  were  unable  to  give 
utterance  to  our  feelings.  We  first  looked  at  the  reeds  before 
us,  then  at  each  other  in  mute  dismay  and  astonishment.  A 
dried-up  vley,  very  little  more  than  a mile  in  extent,  and  a patch 
of  reeds,  was  the  only  reward  for  months  of  toT  and  anxiety. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

OMANBONDE  VISITED  BY  HIPPOPOTAMI VEGETATION,  ETC.,  DESCRIBED — • 

GAME  SOMEWHAT  SCARCE COMBAT  BETWEEN  ELEPHANT  AND  RHINOCE- 
ROS  ADVANCE  OR  RETREAT FAVORABLE  REPORTS  OF  THE  OVAMBO- 

LAND RESOLVE  TO  PROCEED  THERE RECONNOITRE  THE  COUNTRY 

DEPART  FROM  OMANBONDE AUTHOR  SHOOTS  A GIRAFFE SPLENDID 

MIRAGE THE  FAN-PALM THE  GUIDE  ABSCONDS COMMOTION  AMONGST 

THE  NATIVES ARRIVE  AT  OKAMABUTI UNSUCCESSFUL  ELEPHANT  HUNT 

VEGETATION ACCIDENT  TO  WAGON OBLIGED  TO  PROCEED  ON  OX 

BACK — -THE  PARTY  GO  ASTRAY BABOON  FOUNTAIN MEETING  WITH 

THE  OVAMBO  ; THEIR  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE,  ETC. RETURN  TO  EN 

CAMPMENT AN  ELEPHANT  KILLED DISCOVER  A CURIOUS  PLANT IM- 
MORALITY  REFLECTIONS. 

Dry  as  the  basin  of  Omanbonde  then  was,  it,  nevertheless, 
appeared  evident  that,  at  no  distant  period,  it  had  contained  a 
good  deal  of  water.  Moreover,' there  could  be  but  little  doubt 
as  to  hippopotami  having  also,  at  one  time,  existed  there. 

On  becoming  better  acquainted  with  the  geography. of  these 
regions,  we  thought  we  were  able  to  explain  the  phenomenon 
satisfactorily.  Thus,  for  instance,  from  (or  to  ?)  the  deep,  trough- 
shaped  basin  of  Omanbonde  leads  a peculiar  water-course,  in  an 
easterly  direction,  called  Omuramba-'k’Omanbonde,  consisting 
of  a succession  of  immense  gullies,  very  similar  to  Omanbonde 
itself.  These  (after  being  in  a short  time  joined  by  the  Omu- 
ramba-k’Omatako),  we  supposed  to  be  connected  with  some 
large  permanent  water,  abounding  with  hippopotami.  In  sea- 
; * 

1 Omuramba,  in  the  Damara  language,  signifies  a water -course,  in  the  bed  of 
wnich  both  grass  and  water  are  to  be  found. 


124 


OMANBONDi:  VISITED  BY  HIPPOPOTAMI. 


sons  when  rains  are  plentiful,  these  troughs,  or  gullies,  fill,  and 
no  doubt,  retain  water  from  one  rainy  period  to  another,  which 
enables  the  animals  to  travel  at  their  ease  to  Omanbonde.  In- 
deed, by  similar  omurambas  they  have  found  their  way  even  as 
far  south  asSchmelen’s  Hope.  According  to  Jonker  Afrikaner’s 
account,  a hippopotamus  had  taken  up  its  abode  at  this  place, 
but  was  at  last  killed  by  a sudden  inundation  of  the  Swakop. 
The  carcass  was  washed  up  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tjobis,  where 
he  saw  its  remains. 

On  a first  look  at  Damara-land,  an  inexperienced  person 
would  “ as  soon  expect,”  as  Mr.  Galton  says,  “a  hippopotamus 
to  have  traveled  across  the  great  Sahara,  as  from  Omanbonde  to 
Tjobis.”  The  fact,  however,  is  that  this  country,  after  heavy 
rains,  differs  as  much  from  its  normal  state  as  a sea-beach,  when 
dry  and  when  at  spring-tide. 

Little  or  no  rain  had  fallen  this  year  at  Omanbonde,  and, 
consequently,  it  presented  a very  dreary  and  uninteresting  ap- 
pearance. In  its  bed,  however,  we  discovered  several  wells, 
which,  together  with  numerous  remains  of  Damara  villages, 
clearly  indicated  that  the  so-called  lake  was,  at  times,  largely 
resorted  to  by  the  natives. 

The  vegetation  remained  precisely  as  hitherto;  but  the  thorn 
coppices  were,  if  possible,  thicker  and.  more  harassing.  Tne 
monotony  of  the  scene  was  somewhat  relieved  by  clumps  ol 
very  fine  kameel-doorn  trees. 

Game  was  rather  scarce  yet  I managed  to  bag  a few  red 
bucks  (pallahs)  and  koodoo')  Tracks  of  giraffes,  rhinoceroses, 
and  elephants  were  by  no  means  uncommon  ; but  I never  had 
the  good  fortune  to  fall  in  with  any  offthese  animals. 

Furious  battles  are  said  to  take  place  occasionally  between 
the  two  last-named  ; and  though,  of  course,  strength  in  the  ele- 
phant is  infinitely  superior  to  the  rhinoceros,  the  latter,  on 
account  of  his  swiftness  and  sudden  movements,  is  by  no  means 
a despicable  antagonist.  Indeed,  instances  are  known  wh'ere 
they  have  perished  together.  At  Omanbonde,  we  were  told 
that  a combat  of  this  kind  occurred  not  long  before  our  arrival. 
A rhinoceros,  having  encountered  an  elephant,  made  a furious 
dash  at  him,  striking  his  long  sharp  horn  into  the  belly  of  his 
antagonist,  with  such  force  as  to  be  unable  to  extricate 
himself;  and,  in  his  fall,  the  elephant  crushed  his  assailant  to 
death. 

In  sauntering  one  day  about  the  neighborhood  of  Omanbonde, 
Galton  suddenly  found  himself  confronted  by  a lion,  which 
seems  greatly  to  have  terrified  him ; and  he  candidly  tells  us 


FAVORABLE  REPORTS  OF  THE  OVAMBO. 


1^5 


that,  being  only  armed  with  a small  rifle,  he  would  “much 
rather  have  viewed  him  at  a telescopic  distance.” 

As  soon  as  we  had  somewhat  recovered  from  our  bitter  disap- 
pointment, we  began  seriously  to  consider  our  situation,  and  to 
consult  on  our  future  plans.  Once  more  we  were  without  a 
definite  object.  Should  we  return,  or  push  boldly  forward  ? 
At  one  time  my  friend  entertained  thoughts  of  going  no  further; 
in  which  case,  though  it  was  probable  we  might  reach  home  in 
safety,  it  was  very  certain  we  should  reap  but  little  credit  for 
what  had  been  done.  On  the  other  hand,  by  continuing  to 
travel  northwards,  we  exposed  ourselves  to  much  risk  and  danger. 
From  experience,  we  were  aware  that,  to  accomplish  even  a 
comparatively  short  distance,  in  our  very  slow  mode  of  travel- 
ing, months  would  elapse.  In  that  time,  all  the  pools  and  vleys 
which  now  contained  water  would  probably  be  dried  up.  This 
would  be  certain  destruction  to  ourselves  and  cattle.  Besides 
this,  our  men  were  disheartened,  and  wished  to  return.  How- 
ever, in  that  respect  there  would  be  less  difficulty,  as  they  were 
now  nearly  as  much  dependent  on  us  as  we  on  them  ; inasmuch 
as  a broad  tract  of  wild,  inhospitable  country  separated  us  from 
the  nearest  point  of  civilization. 

From  Jonker  Afrikaner,  and  various  other  sources  of  informa- 
tion, we  had  already  learnt  that,  at  a considerable  distance  to 
the  north,  there  lived  a nation  called  Ovambo,  who  had  much 
intercourse  with  the  Damaras,  with  whom  they  bartered  cattle 
for  iron-ware.  They  were  a people,  moreover,  of  agricultural 
habits,  having  permanent  dwellings,  and  were  reported  to  be 
industrious  and  strictly  honest.  The  Damaras  spoke  in  raptures 
of  their  hospitality  and  friendliness  towards  strangers;  and 
represented  them  as  a very  numerous  and  powerful  nation, 
ruled  by  a single  chief  or  king,  named  Naogoro,  who,  to  their 
notions,  was  a perfect  giant  in  size.  With  regard  to  the  distance 
to  this  country,  they  gave  us  the  same  wild,  conflicting,  and 
unsatisfactory  accounts  as  those  we  received  about  the  posi- 
tion of  Omanbonde.  A variety  of  circumstances  at  last  induced 
us,  let  the  consequence  be  whatever  it  might,  to  attempt  to 
reach  this  interesting  land. 

As,  however,  no  reliance  could  possibly  be  placed  on  the 
accounts  of  the  natives  with  regard  to  water,  character  of  the 
country,  and  so  forth,  it  was  deemed  advisable,  before  moving 
from  our  present  encampment,  to  make  a short  exploratory 
excursion,  in  order  to  see  and  judge  for  ourselves. 

Mr.  Galton,  accompanied  by  a few  of  the  men,  therefore,  rode 
northward,  in  order  to  ascertain  if  the  route  we  purposed  taking 


126 


CAMELEOPAEDS. 


was  traversable  with  wagons.  On  the  evening  of  the  third  day 
he  returned,  being  assured  of  its  practicability.  He  had  met 
with  several  native  villages  ; and,  though  his  reception  there 
had  by  no  means  been  very  flattering,  we  determined  to  proceed 
without  a moment’s  delay. 

None  of  the  Damaras  whom  we  had  brought  with  us  from 
Barmen  professed  to  know  anything  of  the  country  we  were 
about  to  explore.  The  guide,  however,  whom  we  had  procured 
a short  distance  south  of  Omanbonde,  said  that  he  was  well 
acquainted  with  it,  and  volunteered  to  show  us  the  way  to  the 
Ovambo,  provided  his  services  should  be  rewarded  with  a cow- 
calf;  Mr.  Galton  gladly  agreed  to  his  terms  ; but,  unfortunate- 
ly, as  the  event  proved,  paid  him  his  wages  in  advance. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  April,  we  bade  farewell 
to  the  inhospitable  shores  of  Omanbonde.  For  a few  hours  we 
kept  parallel  with  the  Omuramba,  when  we  struck  into  a more 
•easterly  course. 

During  the  day,  we  saw  vast  troops  of  cameleopards ; and, 
just  at  night-fall,  I had  the  good  fortune  to  kill  a fine,  full-grown 
male,  which  was  an  acceptable  addition  to  our  larder.  Before 
the  carcass  had  time  to  cool,  twenty  or  thirty  men  were  busy 
in  tearing  it  to  pieces.  As  usual  on  such  occasions,  the  Dama- 
ras dispensed  with  sleep,  and  devoted  the  night  entirely  to  the 
■enjoyment  of  the  banquet. 

Tiie  next  morning,  we  witnessed  a magnificent  mirage — 
lakes,  forests,  hills,  etc.,  burst  on  the  eye,  and  disappeared  in 
rapid  succession. 

Later  in  the  day,  we  were  gratified  by  the  sight  of  a large 
number  of  palm-trees.  This  harbinger  of  a better  land  was  an 
.agreeable  surprise,  bringing  an  involuntary  smile  of  satisfaction 
to  every  face.  We  were  astonished  at  the  cheerful  and  refresh- 
ing effect  a very  slight  improvement  in  the  landscape  had  on 
our  spirits.  In  the  distance,  these  palms  seemed,  to  us,  to  form 
an  extensive  and  compact  wood  ; but,  on  nearer  approach,  we 
found  the  trees  grew  at  long  intervals  from  each  other.  They 
were  very  tall  and  graceful,  each  branch  having  the  appearance 
of  a beautiful  fan;  and,  when  gently  waved  by  the  wind,  the 
effect  produced  was  indescribably  pleasing. 

This  species  of  palm  is,  I believe,  new  to  science.1  It  pro- 
duces fruit  about  the  size  of  an  apple,  of  a deep-brown  color, 

1 On  his  return  to  England,  Mr.  Galton  presented  the  Kew  Gardens  with  speci- 
mens of  the  fruit,  but,  1 am  told,  that  e.vyy  effort  to  raise  plants  from  it  proved  j 
• abortive. 


FA  JV  - PALM. 


127 


FAN-PALM.1 


with  a kernel  as  hard  as  a stone,  and  not  unlike  vegetable-ivory. 
The  fruit  is  said  to  have  a bitter  taste  ; but,  further  north 
i (where,  as  will  be  presently  seen,  we  found  the  tree  very  plen- 
lijtiful),  it  was  very  palatable.  On  account  of  the  great  height, 
and  straightness  of  the  trunk,  the  fruit  was  very  difficult  of 
q jaccess.  The  story  our  guide  told  us  previously  to  leaving  Bar- 
n men,  about  a tree,  the  fruit  of  which  was  attainable  only  by 
e means  of  4-  knob-kieries  thrown  up  at  it,”  was  not  easily  cora- 
yiprehended.  But  we  experienced  greater  difficulty  in  realizing 
:e  nis  other  tales — such  as  the  existence  of  a people  who  make 
ie 

1 The  beautiful  drawing  from  which  the  above  woodcut  is  taken,  was  kindly 
0-  hlaced  at  ray  dispQsal  by  my  esteemed  and  accomplished  friend,  Major  Garden.  It 
If  Represents  the  species  of  fan-palm,  or  vegetable-ivory  palm,  found  about  Natal, 
iffid  seems  in  general  appearance  to  correspond  with  the  kind  observed  by  our- 
jielves.  In  size,  however,  it  is  very  inferior  ; for,  according  to  the  Major’s  estimate. 
;fj,  t does  not  much  exceed  fifteen  feet  in  height,  whilst  the  tree  of  the  parts  of  which 
i am  now  speaking,  not  unfrequently  attains  to  the  altitude  of  from  thirty  to  fifty 
hot,  and  even  more. 


128 


THE  GUIDE  ABSCONDS. 


trees  their  dwellings  ; whilst  others  were  found  without  joints 
to  their  limbs,  who,  nevertheless,  were  able  to  indulge  in  the 
refined  custom  of  feeding  each  other  by  means  of  their  toes. 

In  the  afternoon  of  this  day,  we  reached  a Damara  village, 
which  had  already  been  visited  by  Mr.  Galton,  and  camped  near 
ro  it.  Previously  to  our  arrival  here,  our  guide  absconded, 
taking  with  him,  besides  the  calf  my  friend  had  given  him  as 
payment,  a horse-rug,  which  he  had  from  Timboo. 

The  next  morning,  just  as  I was  returning  to  the  village  from 
;t  successful  hunt,  I observed  an  unusual  commotion  amongst 
the  natives  accompanied  by  the  most  terrific  yelling,  passionate 
vociferations,  and  brandishing  of  assegais.  The  cause  of  this 
uproar  was  at  first  thought  to  be  an  attack  by  the  Bushmen  on 
one  of  the  cattle-posts  of  the  Damaras.  However,  on  investi- 
gating the  matter  more  closely,  we  ascertained  that  the  appre- 
hensions of  the  Damaras  arose  from  the  arrival  of  some  inhabit- 
ants of  a neighboring  kraal,  who  had  come  forcibly  to  recover 
a flock  of  sheep,  which  the  chief  had  taken  possession  of  under 
the  pretext  of  “ hunger.” 

The  news  of  our  arrival  had,  by  this  time,  spread  far  and 
wide;  and  the  Damaras  were  flocking  together  from  all  parts 
to  see  the  white  strangers.  Some  of  them  promised  to  conduct 
us  to  their  great  chief,  Tjopopa,  who  resided  at  a place  called 
Okamabuti,  which  was  on  our  way  to  the  Ovatnbo. 

In  the  course  of  our  journey  to  Tjopopa,  I learnt  the  history 
of  the  father  of  one  of  our  visitors,  who,  it  would  appear,  had 
been  a thorough  rogue.  He  professed  great  friendship  towards 
the  Ovambo,  whom  he  allowed  freely  and  peaceably  to  pass 
through  his  territory;  but  when,  on  one  occasion,  they  were 
returning  home  with  a numerous  herd  of  cattle,  obtained  by 
barter,  he  fell  suddenly  upon  them,  and  deprived  them  of  all  their 
hard-earned  gains.  When,  however,  his  treacherous  conduct 
became  known  to  Nangoro,  he  instantly  dispatched  a party  in 
mder  to  punish  him,  and  this  was  done  so  effectually  that,  since 
that  day,  no  one  has  ventured  to  molest  the  Ovambo  in  their 
peaceable  and  industrious  vocation.  Indeed,  this  tribe  now 
i omtnanded  a large  share  of  the  good-will  and  respect  of  the 
Damaras. 

Elephants  were  said  to  be  numerous  to  the  northward, 
and  the  Damaras  pointed  to  some  wooded  knolls,  where  they! 
said  these  animals  walked  “ as  thick  as  cattle.”  At  times,  they 
would  suddenly  make  their  appearance  in  the  night  in  the  midst 
of  a village,  and  drive  the  inhabitants  precipitately  from  theii 
d wel  lings. 


ARRIVAL  AT  TJOPOPa’s  WERFT. 


129 


On  the  15th  of  April,  we  were  again  moving  ; and  the  very 
next  day  we  entirely  lost  sight  of  the  palms,  which  we  did 
not  again  see  till  nearly  a whole  month’s  travel  had  been  accom- 
plished. 

On  the  17th  we  reached  Tjopopa’s  werft.  It  was  reported 
I that  through  the  instrumentality  of  his  friend,  Nangoro,  this 
man  became  a chief  of  the  first  order.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he 
was  now  living  in  very  great  abundance,  though,  like  many  who 
are  well  off  with  regard  to  worldly  possessions,  he  was  avarici- 
ous in  the  extreme.  A miser’s  parsimony  always  increases  in 
proportion  to  the  enlargement  of  his  property. 


Okamabuti  may  be  said  to  be  the  northern 


limit 


of  Damara- 


and.  It  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  those  wooded  knolls,  already 
pointed  out  to  us  by  the  natives  as  the  resort  of  elephants  ; 
indeed,  the  ground  round  about  bore  ample  testimony  to  the 
destructive  propensities  of  these  animals.  The  place  was  well 
supplied  with  water  by  a fountain,  springing  from  a limestone 
bottom. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  at  Okamabuti,  we  started  off 
on  a shooting  excursion,  in  a northeast  direction,  in  search  of 
elephants  ; but  though  we  discovered  their  fresh  tracks,  an-d 
followed  these  for  a whole  day,  we  were  unable  to  overtake  the 
beasts.  Notwithstanding  our  failure,  we  enjoyed  the  trip 
extremely.  The  scenery  was  novel  and  highly  interesting.  At 
times,  we  crossed  savannahs,  where  the  grass  reached  above  our 
heads  as  we  sat  on  the  oxen;  and,  at  others,  we  passed  through 
magnificent  forests  of  straight-stemmed  and  . dark-foliaged 
timber  trees,1 * * * * * * * 9  fit  abodes  for  the  most  wonderful  creatures  of  ani- 
mated nature. 

A day  or  two  afterwards,  a calamity  befell  us,  which  we  had 
long  dreaded.  In  order  to  be  near  the  elephants,  that  we  might 
hunt  them  at  our  leisure,  we  had  determined  to  move  our  camp 
to  a fountain  a few  hours  further  to  the  northeast,  that  was 
much  frequented  by  these  animals.  On  the  morning  of  our  de- 
parture, however,  before  we  had  proceeded  many  hundred 


1 These  trees  consisted  chiefly  of  what  in  the  Cape  Colony  is  termed  Stink-hout 

or  stink-wood.  It  derives  its  peculiar  name  from  an  offensive  odor  that  it  ex- 

hales, and  which  it  retains  until  thoroughly  seasoned.  In  the  grain  and  the 
shading  it  somewhat  resembles  walnut,  but  in  external  appearance  approaches 

the  oak.  Indeed,  if  I am  not  mistaken,  botanists  have  described  it  as  qvercus 

Africana , in  which  case  I believe  it  to  be  the  only'species  of  that  kind  known  tc 

t>e  indigenous  to  the  African  continent.  I am  told  it  is  by  far  the  best  wood  in 

Southern  Africa,  and  seems  well  adapted  for  various  purposes,  such  as  wagons, 

gun-stocks,  ship-building,  etc 

9 


ISO 


ACCIDENT  TO  WAGON. 


paces,  onr  largest  wagon  came  in  contact  with  a stump  of  a 
tree,  which  entirely  demolished  the  foremost  axle-tree.  Unfor- 
tunate as  this  circumstance  could  not  fail  to  be,  we  had,  never- 
theless, every  reason  to  feel  thankful  it  occurred  where  it  did. 
The  natives,  hereabout,  had  shown  themselves  well-disposed 
towards  us.  Water  and  pasturage  were  abundant;  and  even 
soil able  wood  for  repairing  the  damage  was  to  be  found  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood. 

A few  days  would,  perhaps,  have  sufficed  to  make  a tempo- 
rary repair;  but,  as  we  had  a journey  of  several  months’  dura- 
tion before  us,  it  was  necessary  to  make  the  work  as  permanent 
as  possible,  and  the  seasoning  of  the  wood,  alone,  in  such  a 
case,  would  occupy  several  weeks.  None  of  us  had  much  expe- 
rience in  carpentry;  but  Hans  was,  by  far,  the  most  practical 
hand,  and  he  boldly  undertook  the  task.  To  postpone  our 
journey  to  the  Ovambo,  till  our  wagons  were  in  order,  was 
now,  indeed,  out  of  the  question.  The  season  being  advanced,  !) 
every  day  became  of  the  greatest  importance  ; and  therefore,  to 
save  time,  it  was  resolved  that  we  should  leave  the  vehicles  be- 
hind,  and  that  Gallon  and  myself  should  prosecute  the  journey 
without  further  delay,  by  means  of  pack-and-ride  oxen. 

Having  come  to  this  determination,  our  first  care  was  to  ob-  !j 
tain  accurate  information  of  the  distance,  number  of  watering- 1 
places,  and  so  forth  ; but  the  Damaras  proved  true  to  their 
nature — for,  after  having  spent  several  days  in  cross-questioning 
them,  we  were  just  as  far  from  our  object  as  ever.  Tjopopa,  l| 
himself,  was  very  reserved,  and  would  neither  provide  us  with  ■ 
guides,  nor  give  us  the  least  information.  He  said,  however,  ■ 
that  he  was  just  expecting  a trading  caravan,  from  Ovambo-" 
land;  and  that,  if  we  remained  with  him,  till  its  arrival,  he 
loubted  not  that  we  should,  by  the  assistance  of  the  individuals 
composing  it,  be  enabled  to  reach  that  country.  But  no  reli- 
ance could  be  placed  in  a Damara. 

Whilst  in  this  dilemma,  a man  unexpectedly  came  to  offer  his 
services  as  guide.  Without,  perhaps,  inquiring  sufficiently  as 
to  whether  he  was  well-acquainted  with  the  road,  we  accepted^ 
with  eagerness  the  proposal,  and  did  not  lose  a moment  in  mak- 
ing preparations  for  the  journey.  To  shorten  a long  story,  suf- 
fice it  to  say,  that  we  set  out;  but  our  guide  almost  immedi- 
ately lost  himself ; and  after  we  had  wandered  about  the  hills  for 
several  days,  suffering  the  greatest  anxiety  of  mind,  to  say  no- 
thing of  physical  privations,  we  were  about  to  retrace  our  steps 
to  Okamabuti,  when  we  fortunately  fell  in  with  some  bushmen. 
We  had  left  both  our  Hottentot  interpreters  behind  ; but  we  man 


MEETING  WITH  THE  OVAMBO. 


13  J 


aged  to  explain  to  them  our  wants  and  wishes.  With  "much 
persuasion,  two  of  them  agreed  to  accompany  us  to  a certain 
large  water  in  advance,  of  which  the  Damaras  had  made  re 
peated  mention.  These  men  desired  to  spend  the  night  at  their 
own  werft,  but  we  had  been  so  often  deceived,  that  in  order  to 
secure  their  services,  we  determined  that  only  one  of  them 
should  be  allowed  to  absent  himself.  The  other  was  to  sleep 
near  us;  and  as  a further  security,  Gralton  and  myself  agreed 
alternately  to  keep  watch  on  the  fellow  through  the  night. 

During  our  wanderings  in  the  mountains,  we  stumbled  upon 
a series  of  wells,  which  we  christened  “Baboon  Fountain,”  on 
account  of  the  number  of  baboons  which  frequented  the  place. 
Its  real  name  was  Otjikango. 

It  was  from  this  point  that,  on  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  May, 
we  took  our  fresh  departure  under  the  guidance  of  our  bushmec 
friends.  We  had  not,  however,  been  long  on  the  road  before 
we  were  overtaken  by  three  or  four  men  whom  our  Damaras  at 
once  recognized  as  natives  of  Ovambo-land,  coming  from  the 
very  quarter  we  had  just  left.  They  were  part  of  the  expected 
caravan,  and  I need  hardly  say  that  we  were  delighted  at  this 
opportune  meeting.  Contrary  to  custom,  the  men  had  made  a 
short  cut  across  the  hills,  and  thus  we  had  missed  each  other. 
On  the  Ovambos  reaching  our  encampment,  however,  and  find- 
ing strange  tracks,  and  our  bivouac-fire  still  burning,  their  curi- 
osity was  greatly  aroused,  and  they  had  detached  the  men  whom 
we  now  encountered  in  order  to  bring  us  back.  We  did  not 
much  like  the  idea  ; yet  in  hope  of  obtaining  from  them  a guide, 
we  acquiesced,  intending  presently  to  pursue,  our  journey. 

The  caravan  was  composed  of  twenty-three  individuals,  of  a 
very  dark  complexion,  tall  and  robust,  but  remarkably  ugly, 
and  scantily  attired.  Their  looks  bespoke  determination  and 
independence.  On  acquainting  them  with  our  object,  and  our 
wish  to  obtain  a guide  to  conduct  us  to  their  country,  they  not 

!only  refused,  but  became  very  reserved  in  their  manner.  Thev 
promised,  however,  that  if  we  would  return  with  them  to  Tjopo- 
pa's  werft,  and  there  wait  until  they  had  disposed  of  their  arti- 
■ |cles  of  exchange,  we  were  welcome  to  accompany  them  home. 
They  assured  us,  moreover,  that  any  attempt  on  our  part  to  ac- 
complish the  journey  alone  would  be  attended  with  certain 
destruction  ; for,  even  supposing  we  should  find  the  waters — 
which  were  few  and  far  between — their  chief,  unless  previously 
apprised  of  our  approach,  would  never  receive  us.  We  thought 
their  language  "bold,  and  at  first  laughed  at  them  ; but  they  re- 
mained inflexible.  Remonstrances  were  of  no  avail,  and  we 


132 


THEIR  HABITS. 


soon  saw  that  they  were  a very  different  style  of  natives  from 
those  with  whom  we  had  been  accustomed  to  deal.  Moreover, 
on  mature  consideration,  we  thought  it  only  just  that  they 
should  know  something  of  our  character  before  taking  us  into 
the  heart  of  their  country.  We  accordingly  made  necessity  a 
law,  and  agreed  to  their  proposal.  No  sooner  had  we  done  so, 
than  they  threw  off  their  reserve,  and,  in  a very  short  time,  we 
became  the  best  of  friends. 

Mr.  Gallon  made  them  a present  of  some  meat,  which  they 
greatly  prized.  Their  sole  diet,  on  these  occasions,  was  appar 
ently  a kind  of  grain  resembling  Caffre-corn  (holms  caffrorum), 
which  they  carried  in  small  skin-bags.  This  grain  was  either 
half-boiled,  simply  steeped  in  water,  or,  more  commonly,  par- 
tially crushed,  and  then  converted  into  a coarse  stir-about. 
They  kindly  gave  us  a liberal  supply  of  their  homely  fare,  which 
we  eagerly  partook  of,  being  quite  tired  with  the  everlasting 
flesh  diet.  Our  Damaras  were  also  treated  with  a dish  of  soaked 
corn  ; but,  before  they  were  allowed  to  taste  it,  they  were 
obliged  to  undergo  the  ceremony  (why  or  wherefore  I know 
not)  of  having  a quantity  of  water  spirted  into  their  taces  from 
the  mouth  of  one  of  the  Ovambo.  These  people  invariably 
made  use  of  salt  with  their  food — a thing  never  seen  amongst 
the  Damaras.  As  soon  as  their  plain  meal  was  finished,  pipes 


— of  their  own  manufacture — were  produced,  and,  after  a few 
whiffs,  a song  was  struck  up.  One  man  began  to  chant,  and 
the  whole  party  joined  occasionally  in  chorus.  Though  some- 
what monotonous,  the  music  was  not  unpleasing. 

They  were  armed  with  the  bow  and  arrows,  the  assegai  am 
the  knob-kierie ; but  the  two  first-named  weapons  were  of 
smaller  dimensions  than  those  used  by  the  Damaras.  Theii j 
bows,  moreover,  were  constructed  from  a kind  of  wood  callec 
mohama,  which,  in  its  natural  state,  is  flat  on  one  side,  and  thus 
in  a degree,  of  the  required  form. 

The  arrows  are  generally  tipped  with  bone  or  iron  ; but  the; 
do  not  often  poison  them.  They  carry  their  quivers  under  th 
left  arm  by  means  of  a strap  across  the  right  shoulder.  I I 
addition  to  the  weapons  mentioned,  they  have  a dagger,  prclj 


DAGGER  AND  SHEATH 


tectea  by  a leather  sheath  tastefully  ornamented  with  thin  cop- 
per wire. 

Carpenter’s  work  is  not  much  practiced  among  the  Ovambo. 
The  rude  hatchet  here  represented,  is  nearly  the  only  mechanic’s 
tool  I remember  to  have  seen  in  their  possessio- 


Their  articles  of  barter  were  spear-heads,  knives,  rings,  cop- 
per and  iron  beads,  etc.,  but  of  exceedingly  rude  workmanship. 
Indeed,  it  was  to  me  a constant  wonder  how  they  could  per- 
suade their  neighbors  to  buy  such  trash.  Yet  all  these  things 
were  very  dear  ; an  unfinished  assegai-blade,  or  a yard  of  beads, 
being  the  regular  price  for  an  ox. 

Their  merchandise  was  packed  in  small  square  baskets  made 


out  ol  palm-leaves:  these  were  suspended  to  both  ends  of  the 
long,  smooth,  and  elastic  pole  (of  palm-woed)  that  each  man 
bore  poised  on  his  shoulder.  What  with  their  merchandise, 
provisions,  water,  etc.,  the  weight  was  often  very  considerable ; 
yet  they  traveled  much  faster  than  ourselves. 

They  have  no  idea  of  making  use  of  oxen  for  draught,  or  per- 


HATCHET. 


1 34 


DISCOVERY  OF  A CUEIOOS  PLANT. 


haps,  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say,  they  value  these  animals 
too  highly  to  make  use  of  them  for  such  purposes. 

On  the  4th  of  May  we  returned  to  our  encampment.  Hans 
and.Phillipus  had  killed  an  elephant  during  our  absence,  which 
highly  delighted  the  Damaras,  who  had  flocked  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Okamabuti  in  very  great  numbers.  We  were  sorry 
to  li fid  that  our  cattle,  instead  of  improving  in  condition  by 
their  rest,  were  fast  losing  flesh.  This  we  attributed  to  the 
grass  hereabouts,  which  was  bitter  tasted,  and  to  change  of  pas- 
turage in  general.  The  cattle  of  the  natives  were  accustomed 
to  every  variety  of  herbage,  and  did  not  suffer.  Sheep,  how- 
ever, failed  to  thrive  hei’e. 

Whilst  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  Ovambo  traders,  who, 
with  the  exception  of  their  head  man,  Chikor’onkombe,  had 
now  dispersed  over  the  neighborhood  in  small  bands  of  two 
and  three,  I employed  the  time  in  diligently  exploring  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  ascertaining  its  natural  productions,  and 
was  fortunate  enough  to  add  many  an  interesting  specimen  of 
insect  and  bird  to  my  collection. 

The  natives  were  unable  to  comprehend  why  I thus  collected 
birds  and  other  specimens  of  natural  history;  and  on  an  evening, 
when  I returned  home,  were  convulsed  with  laughter  on  seeing  1 
the  contents  of  my  game-bag.  This  passion  of  mine  (coupled 
with  my  name  being  unpronounceable)  caused  th*m  to 
re-christen  me  “ Karabontera,”  or  the  bird-killer,  by  which 
designation  I am  now  universally  known  throughout  the 
country. 

'flie  vegetation  at  Okamabuti  was  very  rank  and  luxuriant; 
but  the  thorn-jungles  still  continued  to  haunt  us.  The  hills 
were  covered  with  a profusion  of  creepers,  low  shrubs,  and 
aromatic  herbs.  The  euphorbia  candelabrum  was  particularly  j; 
abundant. 

I discovered  a peculiar  plant  growing  on  a very  large -succu- 
lent root,  protruding  about  a foot  above  the  soil.  It  produced 
two  or  three  immense  leaves,  with  a fruit  so  closely  resembling 
grapes,  that,  when  I first  brought  some  bunches  to  our  encamp- 
ment, they  were  mistaken  for  such  ; but  they  were  not  eatable — • 
nav,  the  natives  pronounced  them  to  be  poisonous. 

There  was  also  a tree,  yielding  an  acid  fruit,  somewhat  like  i 
an  apple,  but  with  a hard  kernel  similar  to  that  of  a plum.  In 
hot  weather,  this  fruit  was  very  refreshing,  and  not  unpalat- 
able. 

During  our  stay  at  Okamabuti,  Tjopopa’s  aged  mother  died. 
The  women  of  the  place,  according  to  custom,  howled  most 


IMMORALITY. 


135 


dismally  for  a whole  day.  Great  numbers  of  cattle  were  killed 
or  sacrificed  on  this  occasion. 

Tjopopa  would  spend  whole  days  at  our  camp  in  the  most 
absolute  idleness  and  apathy,  teasing  us  with  begging  for  every- 
thing he  saw.  Like  all  Damaras,  he  had  a perfect  mania  for 
tobacco,  and  considered  no  degradation  too  deep  provided  he 
could  obtain  a few  inches  of  the  narcotic  weed.  He  was  of  an 
easy  and  mild  disposition,  but  excessively  stingy.  We  stood 
greatly  in  need  of  live-stock,  and  took  every  opportunity  to 
display  our  most  tempting  articles  of  barter  in  the  hope  of 
inducing  him  to  purchase.  Brass  or  gilt  ornaments  he  almost 
spurned,  but  cast  longing  eyes  on  articles  of  iron  or  copper. 
At  last  he  selected  goods  to  the  value  of  four  oxen,  with 
which  he  quietly  walked  off.  On  asking  him  for  payment 
the  following  day,  he  smilingly  replied,  “ Why,  between  us, 
there  must  be  no  talk  of  buying  and  selling.  You  are  going  to 
stop  here  a lon£  time,  and  you  will  want  plenty  of  food  : this 
I will  give  you.” 

Knowing  the  truth  of  the  adage,  that  “ a bird  in  the  hand  is 
worth  two  in  the  bush,”  we  should  infinitely  have  preferred  an 
immediate  settlement  to  any  vague  promises.  And  the  end 
justified  our  apprehensions.  The  old  rogue  took  good  care 
neither  to  pay  his  debt,  nor  make  us  any  presents  of  cattle,  of 
which  we  stood  so  much  in  need.  Nay,  he  even  went  further. 
Under  pretext  of  supplying  our  wants,  he  induced  his  people 
to  contribute  oxen  and  sheep,  which  he  was  mean  enough  to 
keep  for  his  own  use. 

Our  friend  Tjopopa;  was  rather  a sensual  man : he  was  sup- 
posed to  have  no  less  than  twenty  wives — two  of  whom,  I 
found  to  my  astonishment,  were  mother  and  daughter!  I have 
since  ascertained  that  this  is  by  no  means  an  unusual  practice 
amongst  this  demoralized  nation.  Moreover,  when  a chief  dies, 
his  surviving  wives  are  transferred  to  his  brother,  or  to  his  near- 
est relation. 

It  is  in  vain  that  poets  and  philanthropists  endeavor  to 
persuade  us  that  savage  nations,  who  have  had  no  previous 
intercourse  with  Europeans,  are  living  in  a state  of  the  most 
enviable  happiness  and  purity — where  ignorance  is  virtuous 
simplicity — poverty,  frugality,  and  temperance — and  indolence, 
laudable  contempt  for  wealth.  One  single  day  among  such 
people  will  be  sufficient  to  repudiate  these  idle  notions. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DEPART  FROM  0 KAMA  BUT  I VISIT  FROM  A LION AMULETS — RE  VISIT 

BABOON  FOUNTAIN OTJIKOTO  ; A WONDERFUL  FREAK  OF  NATURE  ; 

REMARKABLE  CAVERN NATIVES  UNACQUAINTED  WITH  THE  ART  OF 

SWIMMING FISH  ABUNDANT  IN  OTJIKOTO  ; FREQUENTED  BY  IMMENSE 

FLOCKS  OF  DOVES PANIC  OF  THE  OVAMBO  ON  SEEING  BIRDS  SHOT  ON 

THE  WING ARRIVE  AT  OMUTJAMATUNDA A GREASY  WELCOME DUCKS 

AND  GROUSE  NUMEROUS AUTHOR  FINDS  HIMSELF  SOMEWHAT  “OVERDONE” 

“ SALT-PANS” ALL  “ LOOK  BLUE” A SECOND  PARADISE HOSPITABLE 

RECEPTION VEGETATION PEOPLE  LIVE  IN  PATRIARCHAL  STYLE POPU- 
LATION  ENORMOUS  HOGS ARRIVE  AT  THE  RESIDENCE  OF  THE  REDOUBT- 

ABLE NANGORO. 

In  conversation  with  the  Ovambo.  we  learnt  that  Nangoro’s 
Y/erf't  was  distant  at  least  a fortnight’s  steady  travel.  We, 
therefore,  felt  anxious  for  the  speedy  return  of  the  trading  parties, 
in  order  that  we  might  prosecute  our  journey  ; but  they  tarried 
longer  than  we  had  expected.  Ity  degrees,  however,  they  re- 
assembled at  Tjopopa’s  werft,  having  brought  about  two  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  the  result  of  their  trade. 

On  tne  22d  of  May,  Chikor’onkombe,  their  leader,  announced 
that  everything  was  in  readiness  for  a start ; and,  as  we  ourselves 
had  long  been  prepared,  the  caravan  set  out  that  very  afternoon. 

We  bivouacked  at  one  of  Tjopopa’s  cattle-posts,  only  a few 
hours’  journey  from  Okamabuti,  and  had  just  finished  dinner, 
when,  all  at  once,  our  people  rushed  towards  the  fire  with  cries 
of  “ Ongeama  ! — ongeama  !” 

And  so  it  was.  A lion  had,  it  seems,  been  crouched  in  the 
bush,  within  twenty  paces  of  our  camp,  in  readiness  to  spring 
-on  the  cattle  that  were  scattered  about.  But  as  one  of  the  men. 


VISIT  FROM  A LIO  N A MULET, 


137 


wlm  was  in  search  of  fuel,  had  fortunately  discovered  him,  the 
beast  retreated.  He  was  evidently  much  displeased  at  being  thus 
foiled,  and  kept  growling  in  the  distance  during  the  remainder 
of  the  night.  The  following  morning,  on  meeting  one  of  the 
Ovambo,  I inquired  whether  they  also  had  been  troubled  by  the 
lion’,  to  which  he  only  replied  by  pointing  to  a piece  of  wood — 
a charm. of  some  kind — hung  round  Ids  neck,  as  much  as  to  say: 
“ Do  you  think  that  anything  can  hurt  us,  or  our  cattle,  with 
this  in  our  possession.” 

The  Damaras  have  also  great  faith  in  amulets,  consisting  gene- 
rally of  the  teeth  of  lions  and  hyaenas,  entrails  of  animals,  pieces 
of  certain  kinds  of  wood,  and  so  forth.  Our  native  servants, 
indeed,  before  leaving  Okamabuti,  had  purchased  for  a few  beads, 
several  charms  from  Tjopopa,  proof  against  every  danger  and 
calamity. 

On  the  24th,  we  again  formed  ourselves  at  Otjikango  (“Baboon 
Fountain”).  By  this  time,  our  caravan  was  completed,  as  strag- 
gling parties  of  natives  had  continued  to  join  us;  and  we  found 
to  our  astonishment  that,  including  ourselves,  we  mustered  one 
hundred  and  seventy  souls.  Of  this  number  were  no  less  than 
seventy  or  eighty  Damara  women,  bent  on  various  speculations 
— some  in  hope  of  obtaining  employment,  some  to  get  husbands, 
and  others  with  a view  of  disposing  of  their  shell  bodices,  spoken 
of  in  Chapter  IV..  The  latter,  as  we  afterwards  found,  are  taken 
to  pieces  by  the  Ovambo  women,  and  worn  in  strings  round  the 
waist.  In  exchange,  the  Damaras  receive  beads,  tobacco,  corn, 
etc. 

The  country  between  Okamabuti  and  Otjikango  we  found 
well  watered  with  copious  springs,  and  covered  with  a rank  ve- 
getation. Otjikango  itself  being  situated  in  a valley,  between 
nigh  and  steep  hills,  was  not  unpicturesque.  It  was  well  sup- 
plied with  water,  which  in  several  places  oozed  out  of  a kind  of 
vley  or  marsh — in  the  rainy  season,  undoubtedly  a little  lake. 
We  lost  no  time  here,  but  were  again  on  the  move  at  an  early 
hour  on  the  succeeding  mornina:. 

After  a day  and  a half  travel,  we  suddenly  found  ourselves  on 
the  brink  of  Otjikoto,  the  most  extraordinary  chasm  it  was  ever 
my  fortune  to  see.  It  is  scooped,  so  to  say,  out  of  the  solid 
limestone  rock ; and,  though  on  a thousand  times  larger  scale, 
not  unlike  the  Elv-gryta  one  so  commonly  meets  in  Scandinavia. 
The  form  of  Otjikoto  is  cylindrical ; its  diameter  upwards  of  four 
hundred  feet,  and  its  depth,  as  we  ascertained  by  the  lead-line, 
two  hundred  and  fifteen — that  is  at  the  sides,  for  we  had  no 
means  of  plumbing  the  middle,  but  had  reason  to  believe  the 


138  OTJIKOTO  FOUNTAIN. 

depth  to  be  pretty  uniform  throughout.  To  about  thirty  feet 
of  the  brink,  it  is  filled  with  water.1 


Otjikoto,  “ one  of  the  most  wonderful  of  Nature’s  freaks,”  is 
situated  at  the  northern  extremity  of  those  broken  hills  which 
take  their  rise  in  the  neighborhood  of  Okamabuti,  and  in  the 
midst  of  a dense  coppice.  So  effectually  is  it  hidden  from  view, 
that  a person  might  pass  within  fifty  paces  of  it  without  be- 
ing aware  of  its  existence.  Owing  to  its  steep  and  rugged 
sides,  cattle  have  not  access  to  the  water;  and  even  a man  can 
only  approach  this  enormous  well  by  means  of  a steep  and  slip- 
pery footpath.  No  perceptible  difference  could  be  observed  in  the 
height  of  the  water  ; and  the  Ovambo  informed  us  that,  as  long  as 
they  and  their  fathers  remembered,  it  had  always  been  the  same. 
It  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  or  whence  Otjikoto  receives  its 
supplies.  A spacious  cavern,  only  visible  and  accessible  from 
the  water,  may  possibly  be  the  grand  reservoir. 

After  gratifying  our  curiosity,  Galton  and  myself,  standing  in 

' 

1 Shortly  before  reaching  “ Baboon  Fountain,”  I should  remark,  that  at  a place 
called  Orujo,  we  saw  a cavity  of  a similar  kind,  though  on  an  infinitely  smaller  scale. 
It  consisted  of  a circular-shaped  basin  in  the  limestone  rock,  ninety  feet  in  diame- 
ter by  thirty  in  depth.  As  it  was  dry  at  the  time,  we  ascertained  that  the  bottom 
was  flat,  or  nearly  so.  In  various  other  places  we  also  met  with  similar  basins, 
but  on  a still  smaller  scale  than  Orujo. 


REMARKABLE  CAVERN. 


133 


need  of  a path,  plunged  head-foremost  into  the  profound  abyss. 
The  natives  were  utterly  astounded.  Before  reaching  Orjikoto, 
they  had  told  us,  that  if  a man  or  beast  was  so  unfortunate  as 
to  fall  into  the  pool,  he  would  inevitably  perish.  We  attribut- 
ed this  to  superstitious  notions  ; but  the  mystery  was  now 
explained.  The  art  of  swimming  was  totally  unknown  in  these 
regions.  The  water  was  very  cold,  and  from  its  great  depth, 
the  temperature  is  likely  to  be  the  same  throughout  the  year. 

We  swam  into  the  cavern  to  which  allusion  has  just  been 
made.  The  transparency  of  the  water,  which  was  of  the  deep- 
est sea-green,  was  remarkable  ; and  the  effect  produced  in  the 
watery  mirror  by  the  reflection  of  the  crystallized  walls  and  roof 
of  the  cavern  appeared  very  striking  and  beautiful.  In  this 
mysterious  spot,  two  owls,  and  a-  great  number  of  bats,  had 
biken  up  their  abode.  On  approaching  some  of  the  latter, 
vhich  I saw  clinging  to  the  rocks,  I found,  to  my  surprise, 
that  they  were  dead  ; and  had  probably  been  so  for  many  years  j 
at  least,  they  had  all  the  appearance  of  mummies. 

Otjikoto  contained  an  abundance  of  fish,  somewhat  resem- 
bling perch;  but  those  we  caught  were  not  much  larger  than 
one’s  finger.  One  day  we  had  several  scores  of  these  little 
creatures  for  dinner,  and  very  palatable  they  proved. 

In  the  morning  and  evening,  Otjikoto  was  visited  by  an  in- 
credible number  of  doves,  some  of  which  were  most  delicately 
and  beautifully  marked.  On  such  occasions  the  wood  resounded 
with  their  cooing ; but  when  disturbed,  as  they  frequently 
were,  by  the  invasion  of  a hawk,  the  noised  caused  by  their 
precipitate  flight  was  like  that  of  a sudden  rush  of  wind. 

Many  bushmen  resided  near  Otjikoto;  and,  as  everywhere 
else  in  these  regions,  they  lived  on  excellent  terms  with  the 
Ovambo,  to  whom  they  brought  copper-ore  for  sale,  which  they 
obtained  from  the  neighboring  hills.  Indeed,  as  our  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Ovambo  increased,  we  were  more  and  more  fa- 
vorably impressed  with  their  character.  They  treated  all  men 
equally  well,  and  even  the  so  much-despised  Hottentots  ate  out 
of  the  same  dish  and  smoked  out  of  the  same  pipe  as  them- 
selves. 

We  only  stayed  a day  at  Otjikoto.  The  next  morning,  after 
a few  hours’  travel,  we  lost  sight  of  ail  landmarks,  and  were 
now  making  our  way  through  dense  thorn-coppices,  which  ha- 
rassed and  delayed  us  exceedingly.  To  say  nothing  of  tearing 
our  clothes  to  rags,  they,  now  and  then,  extracted  some  articles 
from  the  saddle-bags.  Of  the  regular  Ovambo  caravan-route, 
all  traces  had  been  obliterated  ; and  we  now  first  began  to  un- 


140  A PANIC ARRIVAL  AT  OMUTJAM  ATUNDA. 


lerstand  and  appreciate  the  difficulties  that  would  have  beset 
us  had  we  tried  to  prosecute  the  journey  alone.  Indeed,  with- 
out the  most  experienced  guides,  it.  would  have  been  an  utterly 
hopeless  task.  The  watering-places,  moreover,  were  very  few, 
and  scattered  over  an  immense  extent  of  country,  which  was 
dreary  in  the  extreme. 

Shortly  after  leaving  Otjikoto  and  when  walking  in  advance 
of  the  caravan,  in  company  with  several  of  the  head  men  of  the 
Ovambo,  in  the  hope  of  procuring  some  specimens  of  natural  his- 
tory, I suddenly  flushed  a brace  of  sand-grouse,  both  of  which  I 
brought  to  the  ground.  The  effect  produced  on  my  compan- 
ions was  ludicrous  in  the  extreme.  They  looked  as  if  they  had 
received  an  electric  shock,  and  stood  aghast  with  their  mouths 
wide  open.  On  requesting  them  to  pick  up  the  dead  birds, 
they  absolutely  refused,  and  seemed  petrified 'with  fear.  Their 
conduct  was  the  more  singular,  as,  on  our  first  meeting,  they 
had  given  us  to  understand  that,  through  the  Portuguese,  with 
whom  they  had  indirect  intercourse,  they  were  well-acquainted 
with  fire-arms,  but  that  they  were  not  afraid  of  them,  as  by 
simply  blowing  in  the  muzzle,  they  lost  all  power. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  29th  of  May,  we  reached  Omutjama- 
tunda,  the  first  cattle-post  belonging, to  the  Ovambo.  On 
account  of  this  being  harvest-time,  our  friend,  Chikor’onkombe, 
did  not  expect  to  find  many  of  his  countrymen  here  ; but  he 
was  mistaken,  for  it  swarmed  with  people  as  well  as  cattle. 
The  latter  I estimated  at  no  less  than  from  three  to  four  thou- 
sand. 

Immediately  on  our  arrival,  we  were  surrounded  by  great 
numbers  of  inquisitive  people,  who  looked  upon  the  European 
portion  of  our  party  as  some  rarcz  axes.  They  appeared  to  be 
gratified  at  seeing  their  countrymen  safe  home  again,  and  ex- 
pressed much  admiration  at  the  fine  herd  of  sleek  cattle  they 
had  brought  with  them. 

The  way  of  welcoming  friends  amongst  the  Ovambo  is  some- 
what singular.  In  our  case,  after  every  one  was  seated,  an  im- 
mense dish  of  fresh'  butter  was  produced,  when  the  head  man 
of  the  post  besmeared  the  face  and  breast  of  each  individual 
with  an  abundance  of  the  unction.  The  ceremony  being  satis- 
factorily performed  on  their  own  friends  and  kinsmen,  .it  be- 
came evident  that  they  contemplated  the  same  agreeable  opera- 
tion on  ourselves.  On  seeing  what  was  coming,  Galton  held 
out  both  his  hands,  and  exclamed — “ Oh  ! for  goodness’  sake, 
if  the  thing  is  necessary,  be  it  at  least  moderate  !”  His  request 
was  granted — for  he  escaped  with  a brush  or  two  across  the 


FIVE  SPECIES  OF  GROUSE. 


14J 


face — but  it  created  much  jest  and  mirth  amongst  the  com- 
pany. 

At  Omutjamatunda,  there  is  a most  copious  fountain,  situated 
on  some  rising  ground,  and  commanding  a splendid  prospect  of 
the  surrounding  country  It  was  a refreshing  sight  to  stand  on 
the  borders  of  the  fountain,  which  was  luxuriously  overgrown 
with  towering  reeds,  and  sweep  with  the  eye  the  extensive 
plain  encircling  the  base  of  the  hill  ; frequented  as  it  was,  not 
only  by  vast  herds  of  domesticated  cattle,  but  with  the  lively 
springbok  and  troops  of  striped  zebras.  If  the  monotony  of 
our  dreary  wanderings  had  not  thus  occasionally  been  relieved, 
I do  not  know  how  we  should  have  borne  up  against  our  con- 
stant trials  and  difficulties. 

In  order  to  ascertain  the  proficiency  of  the  Ovambo  in  arch- 
ery, we  had  shooting  matches  whilst  at  Omutjamatunda.  The 
result  proved  that  they  were  inferior  in  this  respect  even  to  the 
Damaras,  who,  as  already  said,  are  wretched  marksmen.  The 
poor  despised  bushmen  beat  both  tribes  out  and  out  in  the  use 
of  the  bow,  which,  however,  is  to  be  expected,  since  they  sub- 
sist, in  a great  measure,  by  the  chase. 

During  the  two  days  we  remained  at  Omutjamatunda,  we 
amused  ourselves  with  shooting  ducks,  and  birds  of  the  grouse 
kind.  Both  were  abundant,  but  more  especially  the  latter, 
which  literally  obscured  the  air  with  their  numbers  every 
morning  and  evening,  when  they  came  to  quench  their  thirst. 
It  is,  however,  only  in  the  dry  season — as  in  the  present  in- 
stance— that  they  are  observed  in  such  astonishing  multitudes. 
The  usually  go  far  in  search  of  food  ; and,  although  a pair  only 
may  be  seen  at  starting  in  quest  of  water,  yet,  as  they  draw 
nearer  to  the  pool,  they  describe  wide  and  continued  circles 
over  it ; and  thus,  by  giving  time  for  others  to  arrive,  increase 
their  numbers. 

There  is  a great  variety  amongst  the  grouse.  Thus,  for  in- 
stance, in  the  course  of  a single  morning,  and  in  about  half-a- 
dozen  discharges,  I have  bagged  grouse  of  five  different  species  ; 
and  I have  procured  altogether  eight  or  nine  ; but  none  of  them 
are  good  eating.  They  chiefly  live  on  hard,  indigestible  seeds, 
often  of  an  oily  substance,  which  gives  to  the  meat  a tough- 
ness and  an  unsavory  flavor.  They  are  best  when  made  into 
pies. 

I have  already  mentioned  that  we  had  one  morning  been 
suddenly  apprised  of  the  approach  of  winter  by  an  intensely 
bleak  wind.  Since  then,  the  cold  had  gradually  increased,  and 
we  suffered  much  in  the  night-time.'  Hitherto,  the  abund- 


t42 


THE  AUTHOR  NEARLY  BURNED. 


ance  of  fuel  we  had  found  everywhere  enabled  us  to  keep  up 
a roaring  fire,  which  in  some  degree  shielded  us  from  the  night 
air.  At  Omutjamatunda,  however,  dry  wood  was  scarce, 
because  the  place  was  the  permanent  residence  of  a great  num- 
ber of  natives  ; and,  as  a consequence,  the  cold  was  painfully 
disagreeable. 

The  morning  before  leaving  Omutjamatunda  a curious  acci- 
dent occurred  to  me.  On  lying  down  at  night  alongside  a small 
fire,  the  air  was  quite  calm  ; but,  towards  morning,  a strong 
and  cutting  wind  arose.  To  protect  myself  against  the  chilling 
blast,  I was  obliged  to  pUll  the  blanket  over  my  head,  and  was 
thus  slumbering  in  happy  ignorance  of  everything.'  After  a 
time,  an  agreeable  sensation  of  warmth  and  comfort  stole  over 
me,  and  the  most  exquisite  visions  floated  before  my  imagination. 
By  degrees,  however,  this  pleasant  feeling  was  converted  into 
uneasiness,  and  ultimately  into  absolute  pain.  I was  writhing 
in  agonies.  By  a violent  effort,  I roused  myself  out  of  the 
trance,  and,  starting  to  my  feet,  discovered  that  the  coverlet 
was  ignited.  A spark  had  fallen  on  it,  and  being  composed  of 
quilted  cotton,  it  had  for  a long  time  been  slowly  smouldering, 
which  accounted  for  the  agreeable  feeling  I had  at  first  experi- 
enced. On  the  fire  coming  into  contact  with  my  body-linen, 
however,  the  lulling  sensation  was  changed  into  one  of  torment. 
Hans  had  had  a similar  accident  at  Schmelen’s  Hope,  on  which 
occasion  almost  the  whole  of  the  skins,  etc.,  spread  beneath 
him,  were  consumed  before  he  was  aware  of  what  had  happen- 
ed. From  that  day  forward,  as  may  be  supposed,  I always  made 
my  bed  far  away  from  the  fire. 

On  the  last  day  of  May,  we  were  again  on  the  move. 
Messengers  were  started  in  advance  to  apprise  King  N a rigor  o 
of  our  approach,  and  to  convey  to  him  a few  trifling 
presents.  They  would  probably  reach  his  capital  in  about  two 
days. 

In  the  course  of  the  first  day’s  journey,  we  traversed  an  im- 
mense hollow,  called  Et.osha,  covered  with  saline  incrustations, 
and  having  wooded  and  well-defined  borders.  Such  places  are 
in  Africa  designated  “ salt-pans.”  The  surface  consisted  of  a 
soft,  greenish-yellow,  clay  soil,  strewed  with  fragments  of  small 
sand-stone,  of  a purple  tint.  Strange  to  relate,  we  had  scarcely 
been  ten  minutes  on  this  ground,  when  the  lower  extremities 
of  ourselves  and  cattle  became  of  the  same  purple  color.  In 
some  rainy  seasons,  the  Ovambo  informed  us,  the  locality  was 
flooded,  and  had  all  the  appearance  of  a lake;  but  now  it  was 
}uite  dry,  and  the  soil  strongly  impregnated  with  salt.  In 


ENTER  PARADISE HOSPITABLE  RECEPTION.  1 4-‘> 


deed,  close  in  shore,  this  commodity  was  to  be  had  of  a vcn 
pure  quality. 

At  night  we  bivouacked  on  the  southern  extremity  of  a 
boundless  savannah,  called  Otjihako-tja-Muteya,  totally  desti- 
tute of  trees,  and  even  bushes.  The  natives  were  unable  to 
give  us  an  idea  of  its  real  extent ; but,  as  far  as  we  could  learn, 
it  reached  to  the  sea,  on  the  west.  Like  Etoslia,  it  had  distinct 
and  wooded  borders. 

The  second  of  June  will  ever  be  remembered  by  us.  On  the 
afternoon  of  that  day,  we  first  set  eye  on  the  beautiful  and 
fertile  plains  of  Ondonga — the  country  of  the  Ovambo.  Vain 
would  be  any  attempt  to  describe  the  sensations  of  delight  and 
pleasure  experienced  by  us,  on  that  memorable  occasion,  or  to 
give  an  idea  of  the  enchanting  panoramic  scene  that  all  at  once 
opened  . on  our  view.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  instead  of  the 
eternal  jungles,  where  every  moment  we  were  in  danger  of  be- 
ing dragged  out  of  our  saddles  by  the  merciless  thorns,  the 
landscape  now  presented  an  apparently  boundless  field  of  yellow 
corn,  dotted  with  numerous  peaceful  homesteads,  and  bathed 
in  the  soft  light  of  a declining  tropical  sun.  Here  and  there, 
moreover,  arose  gigantic,  wide-spreading,  and  dark-folia ged 
timber  and  fruit-trees,  whilst  innumerable  fan-like  palms,  either 
singly  or  in  groups,  completed  the  picture.  To  us  it  was  a per- 
fect elysium,  and  well  rewarded  us  for  every  former  toil  and 
disappointment.  My  friend,  who  had  traveled  far  and  wide, 
confessed  he  had  never  seen  anything  that  could  be  compared 
to  it.  Often  since  have  I conjured  up  to  my  imagination  this 
scene,  and  have  thought  it  might  not  inaptly  be  compared  to 
stepping  out  of  a hot,  white,  and  shadowless  road,  into  a park, 
fresh  with  verdure,  and  cool  with  the  umbrage  cast  down  by 
groups  of  reverend  trees. 

The  first  dwelling  that  lay  in  our  path  was  that  of  obi 
Naitjo,  one  of  the  chief  men  of  our  trading  caravan,  who,  after 
having  feasted  us  on  such  fare  as  the  country  produced  (amongst 
which  was  a dish  of  hot  dough,  steeped  in  melted  butter), 
conducted  us  over  his  extensive  establishment,  comprising  his 
harem,  his  children,  granaries,  and  so  forth.  Timbo  was  in 
ecstasies  with  the  country  and  its  hospitable  inhabitants,  and 
declared  that  it  was  as  like  as  two  peas  to  his  own  native 
land. 

Another  hour’s  travel  brought  us  to  the  residence  of  our 
guide,  Chikor’onkombe,  where  we  remained  two  nights  and  a 
day  to  rest  our  weary  animals.  Poor  creatures  ! they  had  had 
no  water  for  two  entire  days,  and  the  consequence  was  that. 


144 


KINDS  OF  GRAIN  GROWN, 


during  the  first  night,  they  broke  out  of  the  inclosures  aiu 
strayed  far  away  in  search  of  it. 

On  the  4th,  we  again  set  forward.  The  aspect  of  the  countn 
was  still  characterized  by  the  greatest  abundance,  and  the  tree 
became  even  more  numerous. 

Nearly  all  produced  edible  fruit,  though  some  were  not  ye 
ripe.  The  trees,  moreover,  were  on  a grander  scale  than  here 
tofore.  One  kind  in  particular — that  mentioned  as  bearing 
a fruit  somewhat  resembling  an  apple — attained  to  a mos 
astonishing  size.  Indeed,  the  branches  of  one  that  we  measured 
spread  over  a space  of  ground  one  hundred  and  forty-four  feet  ii 
diameter,  or  four  hundred  and  thirty-two  in  circumference! 

The  palms  growing  hereabout — the  stems  of  which,  before 
they  began  to  branch  out,  often  rose  to  fifty  and  sixty  feet— 
were,  to  all  appearance,  of  the  same  kind  as  that  we  had  seen 
about  two  hundred  miles  to  the  southward  ; but  the  fruit  prove<|| 
very  good.  When  slightly  soaked  in  water — which,  by-the-by 
is  the  best  way  of  eating  it — it  tasted  precisely  like  ginger 
bread. 

There  appeared  to  be  no  roads  of  any  description.  Fortu 
nately,  however,  the  harvest  had  just  been  completed,  or  near 
ly  so ; and,  without  damage  to  the  owners,  we  were  therefon 
enabled  to  cross  the  fields  as  the  crow  flies. 

Two  different  kinds  of  grain  we  found  indigenous  to  thi 
country — viz.,  the  common  Caffre-corn,  said  to  resemble  thil 
Egyptian  “ doura and  another  sort,  very  small-grained,  no 
unlike  canary-seed,  and  akin,  I believe,  to  the  “ badjera”  of  Inj 
dia.  This  is  the  more  nutritious  of  the  two,  and,  when  well 
ground,  produces  excellent  flour. 

The  stalk  of  both  these  kinds  of  grain  is  stout — the  thicknes 
of  a sugar-cane — some  eight  or  nine  feet  high,  and  juicy  an< 
sweet  to  the  taste,  which  has  no  doubt  given  rise  to  a belief  ii 
the  existence  of  the  sugar-cane  in  many  of  the  interior  parts  olj 
Africa.  When  the  grain  is  ripe,  the  ear  is  cut  of,  and  the  rej 
mainder  is  left  to  the  cattle,  which  devour  it  greedily. 

Besides  grain,  the  Ovambo  cultivate  calabashes,  water-mel 
ons,  pumpkins,  beans,  peas,  etc.  They  also  plant  tobacco 
When  ripe,  the  leaves  and  stalks  are  collected,  and  mashed  to 
gether  in  a hollow  piece  of  wood,  by  means  of  a heavy  pole 
The  tobacco  is,  however,  of  a very  inferior  quality;  so  much  so 
that  our  Damaras,  who  had  a mania  for  the  weed,  refused  ti 
smoke  it. 

There  are  no  towns  or  villages  in  Ovambo-land,  but  the  peo 
pie,  like  the  patriarchs  of  old,  live  in  separate  families.  Eacl 


ANCIENT  CUSTOM. 


145 


homestead  is  situated  in  tire  middle  of  a corn-field,  and  sur- 
rounded by  high  and  stout  palisades.  The  natives  were  obliged 
to  take  this  precaution  in  order  to  guard  against  the  sudden  at- 
tacks of  a neighboring  hostile  tribe,  which  kept  constantly  ha- 
rassing them.  Once  or  twice  the  Ovambo  attempted  to  retali- 
ate, but  without  success.  The  tribe  just  mentioned  is  the  only 
one  with  whom  this  natu rally-peaceable  people  are  ever  at  vari- 
ance. If  not  previously  provoked,  they  interfere  with  no  one. 

We  were  anxious  to  form  some  sort  of  estimate  of  the  density 
of  the  population  ; but  this  was  no  easy  matter.  However, 
by  counting  the  houses  in  a certain  extent  of  country,  and  tak- 
ing the  average  number  of  individuals  to  each,  we  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  were  about  a hundred  persons  to  every 
square  mile. 

With  the  exception  of  a few  cows  and-  goats,  no  cattle  were 
seen  about  the  dwellings  of  the  natives,  yet  we  knew  them  to 
be  possessed  of  vast  herds.  A general  scarcity  of  water  and 
pasturage  in  Ondonga  compelled  them  to  send  the  oxen 
away  to  distant  parts.  They  also  breed  hogs,  which,  from 
their  mischievous  propensities,  are  always  sent  to  a distance  dur- 
ing the  time  of  harvest.  These  animals,  they  assured  us,  attain 
to  an  enormous  size.  By  all  accounts,  indeed,  they  must  be  per- 
fect monsters.  And  there  can  be  little  doubt  of  the  fact ; for 
captains  of  vessels,  who  are  accustomed  to  trade  with  the  na- 
tives of  the  west  coast,  also  speak  of  a gigantic  race  of  swine. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  after  leaving  Chikor’on- 
kombe’s  werf't,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  residence  of  the  redoubt- 
able Nangoro.  We  were  not,  however,  allowed  to  enter  the 
royal  inclosures,  but  a clump  of  trees  was  pointed  out  to  us  as 
our  encamping  place. 

Whilst  arranging  our  baggage,  etc.,  Chikor’onkombe  proceeded 
to  inform  his  royal  master  of  our  arrival,  and  to  state  the  quan- 
tity and  quality  of  the  intended  presents.  Before  making  his 
obeisance  to  his  majesty,  the  eastern  custom  of  taking  off  the 
sandals  was  carefully  attended  to.  On  his  return  he  brought  a 
man  carrying  some  fire,  with  orders  to  extinguish  ours,  and  tc 
relight  it  with  that  from  the  king’s  own  hearth. 

10 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

nSIT  FROM  NANGORO HIS  EXTREME  OBESITY ONE  MUST  BE  FAT  TO  .WEAR 

A CROWN — HIS  NON-APPRECIATION  OF  ELOQUENCE SINGULAR  EFFECTS 

OF  FIREWORKS  ON  THE  NATIVES CURE  FOR  MAKING  A WRY  FACE — - 

BALL  AT  THE  PALACE THE  LADIES  VERY  ATTRACTIVE  AND  VERY  LOV- 
ING  THEIR  DRESS,  ORNAMENTS,  ETC. HONESTY  OF  THE  OVAMBO 

KINDNESS  TO  THE  POOR LOVE  OF  COUNTRY HOSPITALITY DELICATE  J 

MANNER  OF  EATING LOOSE  MORALS LAWS  OF  SUCCESSION RELIGION — • 

HOUSES DOMESTIC  ANIMALS IMPLEMENTS  OF  HUSBANDRY MANNER  01 

TILLING  THE  GROUND ARTICLES  OF  BARTER METALLURGY. 

We  had  been  nearly  three  days  at  Nangoro’s  capital  before 
its  royal  occupant  honored  our  camp  with  his  presence.  This 
unaccountable  delay  gave  us  some  uneasiness.  Yet  we  could  | 
not  but  surmise  that  he  had  been  longing  to  see  us  during 
the  whole  time.  1 believe  it,  however,  to  be  a kind  of  rule 
with  must  native  princes  of  note  in  this  part  of  Africa,  to  keep  jj 
strangers  waiting,  in  order  to  impress  them  with  a due  sense  of 
dignity  and  importance. 

If  obesity  is  to  be  considered  as  a sign  of  royalty,  Nangoro 
was  “ every  inch  a king.”  To  our  notions,  however,  he  was  the  j 
most  ungainly  and  unwieldy  figure  we  had  ever  seen.  His 
w'alk  resembled  rather  the  waddling  of  a duck  than  the  firm  and 
easy  gait  which  we  are  wont  to  associate  with  royalty.  More- 
over, he  was  in  a state  of  almost  absolute  nudity,  which  showed 
him  off  to  the  greatest  possible  advantage.  It  appeared  strange 
to  us  that  he  should  be  the  only  really  fat  person  in  the  whole  of 
Ondonga.  This  peculiarity,  no  doubt,  is  attributable  to  the 
custom  that  prevails  in  other  parts  of  Africa,  viz.,  that  of  select- 
ing for  rulers  such  persons  only  who  have  a natural  tendency  to 


THE  ROYAL  VISIT 


147 


corpulence,  or,  more  commonly,  fattening  them  for  the  dignity 
as  we  fatten  pigs.1 


With  the  exception  of  a cow  and  an  ox,  Nangojo  appeared 
to  appreciate  few  or  none  of  the  presents  which  Mr.  Gfalton 
bestowed  on  him.  And  as  for  my  friend’s  brilliant  and  energetic 
orations,  they  had  no  more  effect  on  the  ear  of  royalty,  than  if 
addressed  to  a stock  or  a stone.  It  was  in  vain  that  he  repre- 
sented to  his  majesty  the  advantages  of  a more  immediate  com- 
munication with  Europeans.  Nangoro  spoke  little  or  nothing. 
He  could  not  be  eloquent  because  excessive  fat  had  made  him 
short-winded.  Like  Falstaif,  his  “voice  was  broken.”  Any 
attempt  on  his  part  to  utter  a sentence  of  decent  length,  would 
have  put  an  end  to  him  ; so  he  merely  “ grunted”  whenever  he 
desired  to  express  either  approbation  or  dissatisfaction 

In  common  with  his  men,  he  was  at  first  very  incredulous  as 
to  the  effect  produced  by  fire-arms.  But  when  he  witnessed 
the  depth  that  our  steel-pointed  conical  balls  penetrated  into 
the  trunk  of  a sound  tree,  he  soon  -changed  his  opinion  and 
evidently  became  favorably  impressed  with  their  efficacy.  As 

' In  speaking  of  the  Matabili,  Captain  Harris  says — “ To  be  fat  is  the  greatest 
of  all  crimes  ; no  person  being  allowed  that  privilege  but  the  king.”  Here,  then,  we 
have  a new  kind  of  leze-Majesle.  According  to  some  of  the  African  tribes,  obesity 
in  plebeians  is  high  treason  ! 


1 48  EFFECT  OF  FIREWORKS  ON  THE  NATIVES. 

for  the  men  of  his  tribe  who  had  not  yet  seen  guns,  and  who 
had  flocked  to  the  camp  to  have  a look  at  us,  they  became  so 
alarmed,  that,  at  the  instant  of  each  discharge,  they  fell  flat  on 
their  faces,  and  remained  in  their  prostrate  position  for  some 
little  time  afterwards.  A few  very  indifferent  fireworks,  which 
we  displayed,  created  nearly  equal  surprise  and  consternation. 

In  another  interview  with  Nangoro,  he  requested  us  to  shoot 
some  elephants,  which  were  said  to  abound  at  no  great  distance, 
and  which,  at  times,  committed  great  havoc  amongst  the  corn- 
fields, trampling  down  what  they  did  not  consume.  However 
much  we  might  have  relished  the  proposal  under  other  circum- 
stances, we  now  peremptorily  refused  to  comply.  We  rea- 
soned thus: — “Supposing  we  were  successful,  Nangoro  would 
not  only  bag  all  the  ivory — an  article  he  was  known  to  covet 
and  to  sell  largely  to  the  Portuguese — but  he  would  keep  us  in 
Ondonga  till  all  the  elephants  were  shot,  or  scared  away.” 
Neither  of  these  results  suited  our  purpose.  The  cunning  fel- 
low soon  had  an  opportunity  of  revenging  himself  on  us  for  this 
disregard  of  his  royal  wish. 


BE^R-CUP  AND  BEER-SPOON 


Oii  paying  our  respects  to  his  majesty  one  day,  we  were  regaled 
with  a prodigious  quantity  of  beer,  brewed  from  grain,  and 
served  out  of  a monster  calabash  with  spoons  (made  from 
diminutive  pumpkins),  in  nicely-worked  wooden  goblets. 
Being  unwell  at  the  time,  I was  not  in  a state  properly  to 
appreciate  the  tempting  beverage.  Nangoro,  however,  who 
probably  attributed  the  wry  face  that  I made,  to  the  influence 
of  the  liquor,  suddenly  thrust  his  sceptre,  which,  by  the  way, 
was  simply  a pointed  stick,  with  great  force  into  the  pit  of  my 
stomach.  I was  sitting  cross-legged  on  the  ground  at  the  time  ; 
but  the  blow  was  so  violent  as  to  cause  me  to  spring  to  my 
feet  in  an  instant.  Nangoro  was  evidently  much  pleased  with 
bis  practical  joke.  As  for  myself,  I sincerely  wished  him  at 
the  antipodes.  However,  for  fear  of  offending  royalty,  I choked 
my  rising  anger,  and  reseated  myself  with  the  best  grace  I 
could  ; but  I tried  in  vain  to  produce  a smile. 

On  another  occasion,  we  attended  a ball  at  the  royal  resi- 
dence. An  entertainment  of  this  kind  was  given  every  night, 


THE  WOMEN DRESS  AND  ORNAMENTS.  151 

soon  after  dark;  but  it  was  the  most  stupid  and  uninteresting 
ifFair  I ever  witnessed.  The  musical  instruments  were  the 
veil-known  African  tom-tom,  and  a kind  of  guitar.  We  did 


GUITAR. 

oot  join  in  the  dance,  but  amused  ourselves  with  admiring  the 
j ladies-  What  with  their  charms,  which  were  by  no  means 
nconsiderable,  and  the  wonderful  regard  they  evinced  for  us, 
these  damsels  all  but  ruined  our  peace  of  mind. 

The  features  of  the  Ovambo  women,  though  coarse,  are  not 
unpleasing.  When  young  they  possess  very  good  figures.  As 
they  grow  older,  however,  the  symmetry  gradually  disappears, 
and  they  become  exceedingly  stout  and  ungainly.  One  of  the 
causes  of  this  is  probably  to  be  found  in  the  heavy  copper  orna- 
ments, with  which  they  load  their  wrists  and  ankles.  Some  of 
the  ankle-rings  must  weigh  as  much  as  two  or  three  pounds 
and  they  have  often  a pair  on  each  leg.  Moreover,  their  necks 
waists,  and  hips  are  almost  hidden  from  view,  by  a profusion  of 
shells,  cowries,  and  beads  of  every  size  and  color,  which  some- 
times are  rather  prettily  arranged.1  Another  cause  of  their 
losing  their  good  looks  in  comparatively  early  life,  is  the  con- 
stant and  severe  labor  they  are  obliged  to  undergo.  In  this 
land  of  industry,  no  one  is  allowed  to  be  idle,  and  this  is  more 
especially  the  ca§e  with  the  females.  Work  begins  at  sunrise 
and  ends  at  sunset. 

The  hair  of  both  men  and  women  is  short,  crisp,  and  woolly. 
With  the  exception  of  the  crown,  which  is  always  left 
untouched,  the  men  often  shave  the  head,  which  has  the  effect 
of  magnifying  the  natural  prominence  of  the  hinder  parts  of  it 
The  women,  on  the  other  hand,  not  satisfied  with  the  gifts  nature 
has  bestowed  upon  them,  resort,  like  the  polished  ladies  of 

'These  ornaments,  together  with  a narrow  and  soft  piece  of  skin  in  front,  and 
mother  behind  of  stout  hide,  constitute  the  dress  of  the  Ovambo  1 adies . 


152 


HONESTY  OF  THE  OVAMBO. 


Europe,  to  artificial  exaggerations.  'They  besmear  and  stiffen 
the  hair  with  cakes  of  grease  and  a vermilion-colored  substance, 
which,  from  being  constantly  added  to  and  pressed  upon  it, 
gives  to  the  upper  part  of  the  head  a broad  and  flat  look.  The 
persons  of  the  women  are  also  profusely  besmeared  with  grease 
and  red-ochre. 

Besides  ear-rings  of  beads  or  shells,  the  men  display  but  few 
ornaments.  With  regard  to  clothing,  both  sexes  are  far  more 
scantily  attired  than  the  Damaras.  When  grown  up,  they  chip 
the  middle  tooth  in  the  under-jaw. 

The  Ovambo,  so  far  as  came  under  our  own  observation,  were 
strictly  honest.  Indeed,  they  appeared  to  entertain  great  horror 
of  i heft ; and  said,  that  a man  detected  in  pilfering,  would  be 
brought  to  the  king’s  residence,  and  there  speared  to  death. 
In  various  parts  of  the  country,  a kind  of  magistrate  is  appointed, 
whose  duty  is  to  report  all  misdemeanors.  Without  permis- 
sion, the  natives  would  not  even  touch  anything  ; and  we  could 
leave  our  camp  free  from  the  least  apprehension  of  being  plun- 
dered. As  a proof  of  their  honesty,  I may  mention,  that,  when 
we  left  the  Ovambo  country,  the  servants  forgot  some  trifles; 
and  sue  It  was  the  integrity  of  the  people,  that  messengers  actu- 
ally came  after  us  a very  considerable  distance  to  restore  the 
articles  left  behind.  In  Damara  and  Namaqua-land,  on  the 
contrary,  a traveler  is  in  constant  danger  of  being  robbed;  and, 
when  stopping  at  a place,  it  is  always  necessary  to  keep  the 
strictest  watch  on  the  movements  of  the  inhabitants. 

But  honesty  was  not  the  only  good  quality  of  this  fine  race 
of  men.  There  was  no  pauperism  in  the  country.  Crippled 
and  aged  people,  moreover,  seemed  to  be  carefully  tended  and 
nursed.  What  a contrast  to  their  neighbors,  the  Damaras,  who, 
when  a man  becomes  old,  and  no  longer  able  to  shift  for  him- 
self, carry  him  into  the  desert  or  the  forest,  where  he  soon  falls 
a prey  to  wild  beasts,  or  is  left  to  perish  on  his  own  hearth ! 
Nay,  he  is  often  knocked  on  the  head,  or  otherwise  put  to  death. 

The  Ovambo  are  very  national,  and  exceedingly  proud  of  their 
native  soil.  They  are  offended  when  questioned  as  to  the  num- 
ber of  chiefs  by  whom  they  are  ruled.  “ We  acknowledge  only 
■ me  king.  But  a Damara,”  they  would  add,  with  a contempt- 
uous smile,  “ when  possessed  of  a few  cows,  considers  himself 
at  once  a chieftain.” 

The  people  have  also  very  strong  local  attachments.  At  an 
after-period,  whilst  Mr.  Galton  was  waiting  at  St.  Helena  for  a 
ship  to  convey  him  to  England,  he  was  told — “That  slaves 
were  not  exported  from  south  of  Benguela  because  they  never 


HOW  THEY  EAT  loS 

thrived  when  taken  away,  but  became  home-sick,  and  died.,; 
This,  no  doubt,  refers  in  part  to  the  Ovambo.  Moreover,  though 
people  of  every  class  a'nd  tribe  are  permitted  to  intermarry  with. 
them,  they  are,  in  such  case,  never  allowed  to  leave  the  country 

The  Ovambo  are  decidely  hospitable.  We  often  had  the  good 
fortune  to  partake  of  their  liberality.  Their  staple  food  is  a 
kind  of  coarse  stir-about,  which  is  always  served  hot,  either 
with  melted  butter  or  sour  milk. 

Being  once  on  a shooting  excursion,  our  guide  took  us  to  a 
friend’s  house,  where  we  were  regaled  with  the  above  fare. 
But  as  no  spoons  accompanied  it,  we  felt  at  a loss  how  to  set 
to  work.  On  seeing  the  dilemma  we  were  in,  our  host  quickly 
plunged  his  greasy  fingers  into  the  middle  of  the  steaming  mess, 
and  brought  out  a handful,  which  he  dashed  into  the  milk. 
Having  stirred  it  quickly  round  with  all  his  might,  he  next 
opened  his  spacious  mouth,  in  which  the  agreeable  mixture 
vanished  as  if  by  magic.  He  finally  licked  bis  fingers  and 
smacked  his  lips  with  evident  satisfaction,  looking  at  us  as  much 
as  to  say — “ That’s  the  trick,  my  boys!”  However  unpleasant 
this  initiation  might  have  appeared  to  us,  it  would  have  been 
ungrateful,  if  not  offensive,  to  refuse;  therefore,  we  commenced 
in  earnest,  according  to  example,  emptying  the  dish,  and  oc- 
casionally burning  our  fingers,  to  the  great  amusement  of  our 
swarthy  friends. 


MEAT-DISH. 

Although  generally  very  rich  in  cattle,  and  fond  of  animal 
diet,  their  beasts  would  seem  to  be  kept  rather  for  show  than 
for  food.  When  an  ox  is  killed,  the  greater  portion  of  the 
animal  is  disposed  of  by  the  owner  to  the  neighbors,  who  give 
the  produce  of  their  ground  in  exchange. 

The  morality  of  the  Ovambo  is  very  low,  and  polygamy  is 
practiced  to  a great  extent.  A man  may  have  as  many  wives 
as  he  can  afford  to  keep  ; but,  as  with  the  Damaras,  there  is 
always  one  who  is  the  favorite  and  the  highest  in  rank.  Woman 
is  looked  upon  as  a mere  commodity — an  article  of  commerce. 
If  the  husband  be  poor,  the  price  of  a wife  is  two  oxen  and  one 


154 


RELIGION. 


cow  ; but  should  his  circumstances  be  tolerably  flourishing, 
three  oxen  and  two  cows  will  be  expected.  The  chief,  how- 
ever, is  an  exception  to  this  rule.  In  his  case,  the  honor  of  an 
alliance  with  him  is  supposed  to  be  a sufficient  compensation. 
Our  fat  friend  Nangoro  had  largely  benefited  by  this  privilege; 
for,  though  certainly  far  behind  the  king  of  Dahomey  in  regard 
to  the  number  of  wives,  yet  his  harem  boasted  of  one  hundred 
and  six  enchanting  beauties. 

In  case  of  the  death  of  the  king,  the  son  of  his  favorite  wife 
succeeds  him  ; but  if  he  has  no  male  issue  by  this  woman,  her 
daughter  then  assumes  the  sovereignty.  The  Princess  Chipanga 
was  the  intended  successor  to  Nangoro.  My  friend  thought 
that  his  bearded  face  had  made  an  impression  on  this  amiable 
lady  ; but,  though  experience  has  since  taught  us  that  he  was 
by  no  means  averse  to  matrimony,  he  preferred  to  settle  his 
affections  on  one  of  his  own  fair  countrywomen  rather  than  marry 
the  “ greasy  negress,”  Chipanga — heiress  of  Ondonga. 

We  read  of  nations  who  are  supposed  to  be  destitute  of  any 
religious  principles  whatever.  If  we  had  placed  reliance  on 
what  the  natives  themselves  told  us,  we  should  have  set  down 
the  Ovambo  as  one  of  such  benighted  races.  But  can  there  be  so 
deplorable  a condition  of  the  human  mind  ? Does  not  all  nature 
forbid  it?  Do  not  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  stars,  the  solemn 
night  and  cheerful  dawn,  announce  a Creator  even  to  the  children 
of  the  wilderness  ? Is  it  not  proclaimed  in  the  awful  voice  of 
thunder,  and  written  on  the  sky  by 

-tlie  most  terrible  and  nimble  stroke 

Of  quick,  cross  lightning  ?” 


Is  it  possible  that  any  reasoning  creature  can  be  so  degraded  as 
not  to  have  some  notion,  however  faint  and  inadequate,  of  an 
Almighty  Being?  Such  a conception  is  necessarily  included, 
more  or  less,  in  all  forms  of  idolatry,  even  the  most  absurd  and 
bestial.  The  indefinable  apprehensions  of  a savage.,  and  his 
dread  of  something  which  he  cannot  describe,  are  testimonies 
that  at  least  he  suspects  (however  dimly  and  ignorantly)  that  the 
visible  is  not  the  whole.  This  may  be  the  germ  of  religion — 
the  first  uncouth  approaches  of  “ faith”  as  the  “ evidence  of  things 
not  seen” — the  distant  and  imperfectly-heard  announcement  of 
a God. 

May  not  our  incorrect  ideas  on  this  head  m reference  to  the 
Ovambo,  be  attributed  to  want  of  time  and  insufficient  know- 
ledge of  their  language,  habits,  and  shyness  in  revealing  such 


HOUSES. 


15a 


As  already  said,  the  Ovambo  surround  their  dwellings  with 
high  palisades,  consisting  of  stout  poles  about  eight  or  nine  feet 
in  height,  fixed  firmly  in  the  ground,  at  short  intervals  from  each 
other.  The  interior  arrangements  of  these  inclosures  were  most 
intricate.  They  comprised  the  dwelling-houses  of  masters  and 
attendants,  open  spaces  devoted  to  amusement  and  consultation, 
granaries,  pig-sties,  roosting-places  for  fowls,  the  cattle-kraal 
and  so  forth. 

Their  houses  are  of  a circular  form.  The  lower  part  consists 
of  slender  poles,  about  two  feet  six  inches  high  driven  into  the 


matters  to  strangers?  When  interrogating  our  guide  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  he  would  abruptly  stop  us  with  a “Hush!” 
Does  not  this  ejaculation  express  awe  and  reverence,  and  a deep 
sense  of  his  own  utter  insufficiency  to  enter  on  so  solemn  a 
theme?  The  Ovambo  always  evinced  much  uneasiness  when- 
ever, in  alluding  to  the  state  of  man  after  death,  we  mentioned 
Nangoro.  “ If  you  speak  in  that  manner,”  they  said  in  a whis- 
per, “ and  it  should  come  to  the  hearing  of  the  king,  he  will 
think  that  you  may  want  to  kill  him.”  They,  moreover,  hinted 
that  similar  questions  might  materially  hurt  our  interest,  which 
was  too  direct  a hint  to  be  misunderstood.  To  speak  of  the 
death  of  a king  or  chief,  or  merely  to  allude  to  the  heir-apparent, 
many  savage  nations  consider  equivalent  to  high  treason. 


DWELLING-HOUSE  AND  CORN-STORES. 


156 


DOMESTIC  ANIMAL  S H USBANDRY 


ground,  and  further  secured  by  means  of  cord,  etc.,  the  whole 
being  plastered  over  with  clay.  The  roof,  which  is  formed  of 
rushes,  is  not  unlike  that  of  a bee-hive.  The  height  of  the 
whole  house,  from  the  ground  to  the  top  of  the  “ hive,”  does 
not  much  exceed  four  feet,  while  in  circumference  it  is  about 
sixteen. 

They  store  the  grain  in  gigantic  baskets,  generally  manufac- 
tured from  palm-leaves,  plastered  with  clay,  and  covered  with  | 
nearly  the  same  material  and  in  the  same  manner  as  the  dwell- 
ing-houses. They  are,  moreover,  of  every  dimension  ; and  by 
means  of  a frame-work  of  wood,  are  raised  about  a foot  from 
the  ground.  The  domestic  animals  of  the  Ovambo  are  the  ox, 
the  sheep,  the  goat,  the  pig,  the  dog,  and  the  barn-door  fowl. 
The  latter  was  of  a small  breed,  a kind  of  bantam,  very  hand- 
some, and,  if  properly  fed  and  housed,  the  hens  would  lay  eggs 
daily. 

The  wet  season  in  these  latitudes  commences  about  the  same 
period  as  in  Damara-land,  that  is  in  October  and  November. 
When  the  first  heavy  rains  are 'over,  the  Ovambo  begin  to  sow 


VIEW  IN  ONDONGA.1 

1 The  above  wood-out  is  a view  of  the  country  near  Nangoro’s  residence.  The 
huts  seen  in  the  distance  are  those  of  bushmen.  A great  number  of  these  people 
dwell  amongst  the  Ovambo,  to  whom  they  stand  in  a kind  of  vassalage  and  rela- 
tionship. 

; 


HUSBANDR Y A RTICLES  OF  BARTER. 


157 


grain,  etc. ; but  they  plant  tobacco  in  the  dry  time  of  the  year. 
Both  sexes  assist  in  tilling  the  ground,  which,  near  the  surface, 
consists  of  a flinty  sand-soil.  A short  distance  beneath,  blue 
clay  appears.  The  land  must  be  rich  and  fertile,  as  manure  is 
seldom  made  use  of.  The  only  farm-implement  we  saw  in  use 
amongst  the  Ovambo  was  a kind  of  hoe,  of  very  rude  workman 
ship.  Instead  of  cultivating  a whole  piece  of  ground,  as  with  us 
they  simply  dig  a hole  here  and  there,  in  which  they  deposit  a 
handful  of  corn.  When  a little  above  ground,  those  seedlings 
which  are  too  thick,  are  transplanted.  The  process  of  reaping, 
cleaning,  and  grinding,  falls  almost  explusively-  on  the  women. 
The  grain  is  reduced  to  flour  by  means  of  a stout  pole  in  a kind 
of  mortar,  or  hollow  wooden  tube.  Whilst  the  females  are  thus 
employed,  some  of  the  men  attend  to  the  herding  of  the  cattle, 
and  the  rest  make  trading  excursions  to  the  neighboring  tribes. 
The  chief  article  of  export  is  ivory,  which  they  procure  from 
elephants  caught  in  pitfalls.  In  exchange  for  this,  they  obtain 
beads,  iron,  copper,  shells,  cowries,  etc. ; and  such  articles  as 
they  do  not  consume  themselves  they  sell  to  the  Dama'ras.  As 
far  as  we  could  learn,  they  make  four  expeditions  annually  into 
Damara-land  ; two  by  the  way  of  Okamabuti,  and  two  by  that 
of  Omaruru.  The  return  for  these  several  journeys,  on  an 
average,  would  seem  to  be  about  eight  hundred  head  of  cattle. 
Since  we  were  in  the  country,  however,  it  is  probable  that 
great  changes  may  have  taken  place. 


BLACKSMITHS  AT  WORK 


158 


ARTICLES  OF  BARTE  R M ETALLURGY. 


Next  to  their  cattle,  they  prize  beads  ; but,  though  the1 
never  refuse  whatever  is  offered  to  them,  there  are  some  sort 
that  they  more  especially  value,  and  it  is  of  very  great  import 
ance  to  the  traveler  and  trader  to  be  aware  of  this,  as,  in  reality 
beads  constitute  his  only  money,  or  means  of  exchange.  Thus 
throughout  Ondonga,  large  red  (oval  or  cylindrically-shaped) 
large  bluish  white,  small  dark  indigo,  small  black  (spotter 
with  red),  and  red,  in  general,  are  more  particularly  in  re 
quest. 

The  Ovambo  have  some  slight  knowledge  of  metallurgy! 
Though  no  mineral  is  indigenous  to  their  own  country,  the 
procure  copper  and  iron  ore  in  abundance  from  their  neighbors) 
which  they  smelt  in  fireproof  crucibles.  The  bellows  employe 
in  heating  the  iron  are  very  indifferent,  and  stones  serve  as  sufc 
stitutes  for  hammer  and  anvil.  Yet,  rude  as  these  implement 
are,  they  manage  not  only  to  manufacture  their  own  ornament 
and  farming  tools,  but  almost  all  the  iron-ware  used  in  barter. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  RIVER  CUNENE 'THE  TRAVELERS  ARE  PRISONERS  AT  LARGE KINGLY 

REVENGE KINGLY  LIBERALITY DEPART  FROM  ONDONGA SUFFERINGS 

AND  CONSEQUENCES  RESULTING  FROM  COLD RETURN  TO  OKAMABUTI 

DAMARA  WOMEN  MURDERED  BY  BUSHMEN— PREPARATIONS  FOR  JOURNEY 

OBTAIN  GUIDES DEPART  FROM  TJOPOPA’s  WERFT GAME  ABUNDANT 

AUTHOR  AND  THREE  LIONS  STALK  ANTELOPES  IN  COMPANY EXTRAORDI- 
NARY VISITATION THE  RHINOCEROS’S  GUARDIAN  ANGEL THE  TEXTOR 

ERYTHRORHYNCIIUS THE  AMADINA  SQUAMIFRONS  ; SINGULAR  CONSTRUC 

TION  OF  ITS  NEST RETURN  TO  BARMEN. 

Many  years  previously  to  our  visit  to  the  Ovambo,  a French 
fngate  discovered  the  embouchure  of  a magnificent  river,  known 
as  Cunene,  between  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  degrees  of 
south  latitude.  Other  vessels  were  sent  out  to  explore  it,  and 
to  ascertain  its  course,  etc.,  but,  strange  to  say,  they  searched 
for  it  in  vain  ! 1 

The  discoverers  could  not,  however,  have  been  mistaken;  and 
as  we  now  approached  the  latitudes  in  question,  we  made  inqui- 
ries, and  soon. found  that  only  four  days’  travel  north  of  Ondonga 
there  existed  a river  of  great  size,  which,  we  doubted  not,  was 
identical  with  Cunene;  and  further  inquiry  fully  corroborated 
this  supposition.  A run-away  slave  from  Benguela,  who  was  liv- 
ing at  the  time  among  the  Ovambo,  informed  us  that  in  its  upper 
course  (or  rather  another  branch)  this  river  is  called  Mukuru 
Mukovanja,  but  that  in  its  lower  course  it  is  designated  Cunene. 
Moreover,  that  though  of  very  considerable  size,  and  containing 

1 Captain  Messum,  master  of  a merchant  vessel,  subsequently  informed  me  that 
he  has  seen  it.  * 


160 


THE  RIVER  CUNENE. 


a large  volume  of  water,  it  does  not  always  find  its  way  directly 
into  the  sea.  He  declared  the  cause  o4  this  to  be  the  formation 
of  sand-banks  at  its  mouth,  which  compels  it  to  take  a subter- 
raneous course.  Occasionally,  however,  it  breaks  through  these 
barriers.  This  was  exceedingly  interesting,  inasmuch  as  it  ex- 
plained the  cause  of  its  mysterious  disappearance. 

The  Ovambo,  themselves,  gave  us  to  understand  that  they 
often  extended  their  trading  excursions  to  the  Cunene,  and  even 
crossed  it  by  means  of  canoes.  The  people  dwelling  on  its 
south  bank  were  called  Ovapangari  (a  few  of  whom  we  saw  in 
Ondonga)  and  Ovabundya.  The  latter  were  represented  as  liv- 
ing among  “ many  waters,”  which  we  conjectured  meant  the 
confluence  of  some  of  the  branches.  The  names  of  several 
other  tribes  will  be  met  with,  all  of  which  seem  to  be 
closely  allied  in  language,  habits,  etc.  Indeed,  the  Damaras 
designate  them  all  Ovambo,  which  they  apply  to  people  with 
permanent  habitations  and  agricultural  habits. 

Our  curiosity  to  see  the  Cunene  was  greatly  aroused  ; though, 
in  order  to  accomplish  this  object,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
overcome  many  difficulties.  Pleasant  as  our  arrival  and  stay  in 
Ondonga  had  generally  been,  it  was  in  some  respects  attended 
with  much  inconvenience.  The  freedom  we  had  enjoyed  to 
such  perfection  amongst  the  Damaras  ceased  with  our  entrance 
into  Ovambo-land.  We  could  hardly  stir  half  a mile  from  our 
camp,  without  having  first  obtained  the  permission  of  our  des- 
potic friend,  and  much  less  could  we  think  of  returning  or  pro- 
ceeding. We  had  left  half  our  party  behind  us  in  a savage  and 
inhospitable  country,  without  a sufficiency  of  provisions.  Our 
own  stores  were  very  deficient  in  animal  food.  No  pasturage 
was  left  in  Ondonga  but  corn-stubble,  or  rather  corn-stalks ; 
and  of  this,  as  well  as  of  water,  the  inhabitants  were  extreme- 
ly tenacious.  The  consequence  was  that  the  poor  cattle  daily 
fell  off  in  condition.  We  were  already  two  long  weeks’  journey 
distant  from  our  camp  at  Okamabuti,  and  to  undertake  an  ex 
cursion  to  the  Cunene,  and  return,  would  occupy  fully  another 
fortnight,  making  thus,  at  the  very  least,  a whole  month’s  actual 
travel.  This,  we  feared,  was  more  than  our  emaciated  cattle 
were  equal  to.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  these  formidable  diffi- 
culties, the  enterprise  was  of  such  great  importance  that  we  de- 
termined not  to  give  it  up  without  a struggle.  Unless  we  could 
obtain  the  consent  and  assistance  of  Nangoro,  we  were  aware 
that  all  our  efforts  would  be  unavailing.  Accordingly,  we  in- 
formed him  of  our  plans,  with  a request  that  he  would  provide 
us  with  guides.  But  he  sulkily  replied,  that  as  we  did  not 


ROYAL  RE  \ ENG  E D EPART  FROM  O TV  DONGA.  I 


choose  to  kill  elephants  for  him,  he  could  not  oblige  us  in  this 
matter!  Under  any  circumstances,  such  ungenerous  conduct 
would  have  been  highly  vexatious ; but,  in  our  situation,  we 
could  only  submit,  and  hope  it  was  all  for  the  best;  and  that 
which  his  majesty  intended  an  act  of  revenge,  might,  in  the  end, 
be  the  means  of  saving  ourselves. 

Thus  frustrated  in  our  plans,  and  having  seen  and  ascertained 
everything  we  could  in  the  country,  we  at  once  determined  to 
retrace  our  steps.  However,  after  what  had  just  fallen  from  the 
lips  of  the  chief,  it  was  not  without  some  misgivings,  that  wo 
waited  to  know  his  wishes  and  intentions  with  regard  to  our 
departure.  But  there  was  no  cause  for  anxiety.  Having 
squeezed  everything  out  of  us  that  would  have  been  of  any  use 
to  him,  he  was  evidently  but  too  well  pleased  to  see  us  leavo 
his  territory,  which  would  relieve  him  from  the  necessity  of 
making  us  any  presents.  During  our  stay  in  Ondonga,  all  that 
this  royal  miser  gave  us,  was  a small  basket  of  flour ; though,  on 
our  finally  leaving  his  dominion,  he  ordered  one  of  his  “ bread- 
eaters,”  who  accompanied  us  as  guide  to  the  frontier,  to  levy 
a tribute  of  corn  on  his  subjects  for  our  behoof;  but  this  largess, 
at  the  expense  of  others,  came  too  late,  as  we  had  already  laid  in 
a sufficient  stock  of  the  staff  of  life,  which  we  had  obtained  from 
the  natives  by  barter. 

The  13th  of  June  was  fixed  for  our  departure.  We  were  not, 
however,  able  to  get  away  till  two  days  later.  On  the  18th 
we  were  fairly  out  of  sight  of  the  fertile  plains  of  Ondonga. 
Nangoro  had  originally  promised  to  send  our  old  friend  Chikor’- 
onkombe  back  with  us;  but  the  fellow  abruptly  and  treacher- 
ously deserted  us.  This  proved  of  great  inconvenience,  and  ir, 
was  only  by  exerting  all  our  ingenuity  that  we  ultimately  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  our  way  home.  As  has  been  already  said 
there  were  no  landmarks  by  which  we  could  steer. 

The  nights  had  now  become  bitterly  cold.  In  crossing  the 
Otjdiako-rja-Mutenya,  we  were  obliged  to  bivouac  on  this  bleak 
and  exposed  plain  without  a particle  of  fuel.  What  with  the 
piercing  wind  and  low  temperature,  it  was  one  of  the  most  try- 
ing nights  I remember  to.  have  spent  in  Africa.  Indeed,  I hardly 
ever  felt  the  cold  more  during  the  most  severe  Scandinavian 
winter.  Even  the  cattle  were  so  exceedingly  distressed,  that  seve- 
ral of  our  best  draught-oxen  never  thoroughly  recovered.  Our 
poor  Damaras  suffered  fearfully  ; and  it  was  only  by  huddling 
themselves  together  at  the  bottom  of  a dried-up  well,  that  they 
were  enabled  to  keep  the  least  warmth  in  their  bodies.  Timbo 
however,  appeared  to  be  the  greatest  sufferer.  One  morning  ws 
11 


162 


ARRIVAL  AT  O K A M A B U T j.  . 


were  amazed  at  finding  his  dark,  shiny  skin  suddenly  changed 
into  a pale,  ashy  gray. 

Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  water  at  this  time  of  the  year,  game 
was  rare.  Indeed,  we  only  met  with  animals,  such  as  the  gi- 
raffe, the  koodoo,  the  gemsbok,  the  eland,  etc.,  that  either  wholly, 
or  in  great  part,  can  do  without  water. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  after  about  a fortnight’s  steady  travel,  we 
reached  our  encampment  in  safety.  The  two  hundred  miles  of 
country  we  had  crossed  presented,  perhaps,  as  dreary  and  unin- 
teresting a prospect  as  can  well  be  imagined. 

In  our  absence,  Tjopopa,  with  his  people,  left  Okamabuti, 
and  removed  a few  miles  further  to  the  westward.  Our  men 
followed  his  example.  On  approaching  the  camp,  we  espied 
Hans  perched  in  the  top  of  a tree,  anxiously  looking  out  for  our 
return.  The  whole  party  was  almost  wild  with  delight  at  see- 
ing us  safe  back,  of  which  they  began  to  despair.  They  had 
passed  a most  dreary  time.  The  natives,  though  friendly,  teased 
and  annoyed  them  excessively  with  begging,  and  even  pilfering ; 
the  chief,  as  not  unfrequently  happens,  having  been  the  most 
importunate  of  the  whole  lot.  Moreover,  he  had  not  paid  his 
debt,  nor  would  he  sell  Hans  any  cattle  ; and,  as  there  was  then 
very  little  game  in  the  neighborhood,  they  were  so  pressed  for 
food,  that  Hans  was  obliged  to  reduce  the  men’s  allowances  very 
considerably.  Our  Damara  servants  lived  for  some  time  solely 
on  such  birds  and  small  animals  as  they  could  kill  by  means  of 
the  dogs.  Fortunately,  Hans  possessed  some  tobacco ; and 
whilst  the  natives  refused  everything  else,  he  was  able  to  obtain 
a few  sheep  for  this  article,  which  proved  a most  opportune 
supply. 

Not  many  days  previous  to  our  arrival,  eight  Damara  women 
had  been  surprised  by  the  bushmen,  and  unmercifully  put  to 
death.  This,  however,  was  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for  the 
Damaras  themselves  are  always  waging  an  exterminating  war 
on  the  bushmen.  Indeed,  they  hunt  them  down,  wherever 
met  with,  like  wild  beasts. 

Hans  had  succeeded  in  repairing  the  wagon  most  satisfactori  - 
lv,  and  the  oxen,  though  rather  lean,  were  in  tolerably  good 
working  order.  We  now  determined  to  turn  our  faces  home- 
wards, without  a moment’s  delay.  A very  few  days  were  suffi- 
cient to  enable  us  to  complete  the  final  preparations. 

By  this  time,  all  the  pools  of  rain-water,  which  had  befriend- 
ed us  on  our  journey  northwards,  were  dried  up,  and  it  would, 
therefore,  have  been  impossible  to  retrace  our  steps  by  the  same 
route.  The  Damaras  strongly  advised  us  to  strike  the  Omuram- 


DEPART  FROM  TJOPOPa’s  W E R F T . 


163 


ba-k’Omatako  at  a certain  point,  and,  by  following  its  course, 
they  assured  us  we  should  find  water  and  pasturage  in  abund- 
ance. One  man  in  particular,  who  had  always  shown  him- 
self civil  and  obliging,  offered  to  act  as  guide  the  first  nart 
of  the  way.  For  the  remainder,  we  secured  the  services  of  a 
lad  professing  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  country.  Having, 
on  so  many  occasions,  been  deceived  by  the  natives,  we  did  not 
much  relish  the  ideaof  again  trusting  ourselves  to  their  guidance. 
However,  there  was  no  alternative  ; and  in  this  instance,  to  do 
justice  to  the  men,  I must  say  they  not  only  spoke  the  truth 
but  performed  their  services  most  satisfactorily. 

Without  bidding  farewell  to  Tjopopa  who,  throughout,  had 
treated  us  inhospitably,  we  yoked  our  oxen  on  the  5th  of  July, 
and,  after  about  three  days’  travel,  arrived  , in  the  Omuramba. 
At  this  point,  the  river  (or  rather  the  river-bed)  appeared  to  cease 
altogether;  but  the  natives  declared  that  it  continued  to  flow 
towards  the  Ovatjona,  or  Matjo’na.  I have  since  ascertained  that 
they  alluded  to  the  Bechuana  country.  Hence,  we  traveled 
steadily  up  towards  its  source.  Its  bed,  which  sometimes  spread 
out  into  a flat,  and  at  others  formed  a narrow  channel,  afforded 
us  always  a good  and  open  road.  The  country  on  both  sides 
was  hemmed  in  by  an  apparently  endless  thorn-coppice.  We 
usually  found  water  daily  ; at  first  in  pools,  but  afterwards  ex- 
clusively in  wells,  varying  in  depth  from  a few  feet  to  as  much 
as  forty.  These  were  generally  choked  up  with  sand,  and  id 
often  occupied  us  half  a day  to  clean  them  out.  I remember,  on 
one  occasion,  working  hard  with  a party  consisting  of  about 
thirty  men  and  women  during  upwards  of  twenty  hours,  before 
we  could  obtain  a sufficiency  of  water.  It  was  cold  work; 
for  about  sunrise  the  ice  was  often,  half  an  inch  thick,  and  we 
had  no  water-proof  boots  to  protect  our  feet. 

Game  now  became  abundant.  We  managed  to  kill  sufficient 
for  the  table  without  being  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  our  few 
remaining  live  stock.  I saw  here  for  the  first  time  that  magni- 
ficent  antelope,  the  eland. 

Beasts  of  prey  were  likewise  numerous.  Indeed,  they  always 
follow  the  larger  game.  During  the  nights,  we  were  constantly 
annoyed  by  the  dismal  bowlings  of  the  hyaenas  ; and  we  had 
some  very  exciting  foot-chases  after  these  animals. 

Whilst  out  hunting  early  one  morning,  I espied  a small  troop 
of  gnoos  quietly  grazing  at  a bend  of  the  river.  Cautiously  ap- 
proaching them  under  shelter  of  the  intervening  ground,  they 
suddenly  tossed  their  heads,  switched  their  tails,  scraped  the 
earth  impatiently  with  their  hoofs,  and  sniffed  the  air.  I was 


164 


THE  LOST  ONE  FOUND. 


puzzled  how  to  account  for  this  unusual  agitation,  as,  from  my 
position,  I was  certain  they  could  not  have  discovered  me.  But 
1 had  not  much  time  for  conjecture  ; for  the  next  instant  I was 
startled  by  the  growl  of  some  animal  close  to  me.  On  looking 
in  the  direction  whence  it  proceeded,  I discovered,  to  my  ut- 
ter astonishment,  two  lions  and  a lioness  on  the  rising  ground 
just  above  me;  and,  as  it  seemed,  they  also  were  on  the  look-out 
for  the  gnoos.1  I instinctively  leveled  my  piece  at  the  head  of 
the  nearest  of  the  beasts  ; but  a moment’s  reflection  con- 
vinced me  that  the  odds  were  too  great,  and  I,  therefore,  thought 
it  best  to  reserve  my  fire,  so  as  to  bein  readiness  to  receive  them, 
should  they  charge.  After  having  regarded  me  for  a few  seconds, 
however,  they  growlingly  disappeared  behind  a sand-hill. 

By  this  time,  the  gnoos  had  become  aware  of  the  lions,  and 
were  making  off  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  Being  anxious  to 
obtain  a shot  at  them,  I followed  on  their  tracks,  but  soon  found, 
to  my  dismay,  that  my  three  royal  friends,  with  jaws  dis- 
tended and  uttering  furious  growls,  were  following  a course 
parallel  to  mine.  Though  I must  confess  I did  not  at  all  like 
their  looks,  as  only  excessive  hunger  could  have  induced  them, 
in  broad  day,  to  seek  for  victims,  I nevertheless  continued  to 
follow  the  tracks  of  the  antelopes  until  they  led  me  into  the 
bush,  where  I presently  lost  them,  as  well  as  myself. 

On  first  seeing  the  gnoos,  I left  my  henchman,  “ Bill,”  a Da- 
mara  lad,  who  carried  my  spare  gun,  at  some  distance  behind, 
with  directions  to  follow  on  my  track  according  to  circumstances. 
Now  that  the  gnoos  were  lost  to  me,  I shouted  loudly  to  the 
youth,  and  also  discharged  my  gun  more  than  once,  but  was  un- 
able to  elecit  a reply.  Thinking,  however,  that  he  might  have 
returned  to  our  encampment  (which  was  at  no  great  distance),  I 
I also  repaired  there.  But  “Bill”  had  not  been  heard  of.  The 
harassing  suspicion  at  once  crossed  my  mind  that  the  lions  had 
eaten  him.  Without  a moment’s  delay  I hurried  back  to  the 
spot  where  I had  last  seen  the  beasts,  but  all  my  endeavors  to 
find  the  poor  fellow  were  unavailing.  What  with  my  anxiety 
on  his  account,  and  my  exertions  under  a broiling  sun  (for  if  the 
weather  were  frosty  at  night,  it  calcined  one  by  day),  I was  un- 
able to  proceed  further,  and  sat  myself  down  on  the  ground  to 
wait  for  the  arrival  of  the  wagons  which  were  now  moving  for- 
ward. Just  at  this  moment,  the  Damara,  to  my  inexpressible 
delight,  emerged  from  the  bush.  His  story  was  soon  told.  He 

lTke  plate  facing  the  page  represents  two  lions  observing  me,  whilst  the  lioness 
not  yet  aware  of  my  presence,  is  still  eagerly  pushing  on  towards  the  intended  victims. 


EXTRAORDINARY  VISITATIO  N B IKDS.  167 


had.  like  myself,  lost  his  way,  and  it  was  long  before  he  was  able 
to  recover  the  right  track. 

One  morning,  as  we  were  about  to  yoke  the  oxen,  we  were 
amused  to  see  them  suddenly  start  off  in  every  direction,  in  the 
wildest  confusion,  and  cutting  the  most  ridiculous  capers.  The 
cause  of  this  commotion  was  the  arrival  of  a large  flock  of 
the  bwphaga  africana,  which  alighted  on  the  backs  of  the  cattle 
for  the  purpose  of  feeding  on  the  ticks  with  which  their  hides 
are  covered.  By  means  of  their  long  claws  and  elastic  tails, 
these  birds  are  enabled  to  cling  to,  and  search  every  part  of,  the 
beast.  It  was  evident,  however,  that  our  oxen  had  never  expe- 
rienced a similar  visitation;  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  they  were 
taken  somewhat  a-back  at  being  thus  unceremoniously  assailed. 

The  bwphaga  africana  is  also  a frequent  companion  of  the  rhino- 
ceros, to  which,  besides  being  of  service  in  ridding  him  of  many 
of  the  insects  that  infest  his  hide,  it  performs  the  important  part 
of  sentinel.  On  many  occasions  has  this  watchful  bird  prevent- 
ed me  from  getting  a shot  at  that  beast.  The  moment  it  suspects 
danger,  it  flies  almust  perpendicularly  up  into  the  air,  uttering 
sharp,  shrill  notes,  that  never  fail  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
rhinoceros,  who,  without  waiting  to  ascertain  the  cause,  almost 
instantly  seeks  safety  in  a precipitate  flight.  According  to  Mr. 
Cumming,  these  birds  also  attend  upon  the  hippopotamus. 

Another  bird  ( textor  erythrorhynchiis)  is  also  in  the  habit  of 
feeding  upon  parasitical  insects,  but  is  said  to  restrict  its  visits 
to  the  buffalo.  In  the  part  of  Damara-Iand  of  which  I am 
now  speaking,  that  animal  is  unknown;  yet  these  birds  were  in 
very  great  numbers.  It  appeared  to  be  very  social  in  its  habits, 
living  in  colonies,  and  building  its  nest,  which  consists  of  dry 
sticks,  on  lofty  trees. 

We  also  made  acquaintance  with  a small,  sparrow-looking 
bird,  the  amadina  squatnifrons , which  deserves  notice  on  accouut 
of  its  peculiar  and  interesting  nest.  According  to  Dr.  Andrew 
Smith,  this  is  placed  on  a small  shrub,  and  is*  constructed  of 
grass.  But  in  Damara-land  and  parts  adjacent,  the  materials 
are  of  a beautifully  soft  texture,  not  unlike  sheep’s  wool.  I 
never  could  discover  the  plant  from  which  it  was  procured. 
The  Hottentots  use  it  as  a substitute  for  gun-wadding,  and 
it  is  by  no  means  a bad  makeshift.  The  nest  is  so  strongly 
put  together,  that  one  has  difficulty  in  separating  it.  When 
the  old  bird  absents  itself,  it  effectually  conceals  the  opening 
of  the  nest  from  view.  Even  long  after  I was  acquainted 
with  this  peculiarity  I was  puzzled  to  find  it  out.  Just 
above  the  entrance  is  a small  holiow,  which  has  no  communi- 


168 


RETURN  TO  BARMEN. 


Cation  with  the  interior  of  the  nest,  but  which,  by  the  un- 
initiated, is  often  mistaken  for  it.  In  this  tube  the  male  bird 
sits  at  night. 

We  occasionally  fell  in  with  Damara  villages.  In  our  jour 
ney  northwards,  the  natives  had  shown  themselves  exces- 
sively timid  and  suspicious  ; but  now  that  they  had  so  many 
evidences  of  our  peaceful  intentions,  they  approached  our  camp 
without  the  least  reserve  or  hesitation ; but  we  could  not 
induce  them  to  part  with  any  cattle,  of  which  we  stood  much 
in  need. 

On  the  26th  of  July  we  came  in  sight  of  Omatako,  and  many 
other  well-known  hills.  On  the  3rd  of  August  we  found  our- 
selves at  Schmelen’s  Hope  ; but  how  different  an  aspect  did  it 
present  to  that  which  lived  in  our  memory  ! When  we  left  it, 
about  three  month’s  previously,  the  country  was  covered  with 
the  most  luxuriant  vegetation.  Since  then,  the  Damaras  had 
been  encamping  there  with  their  cattle,  and  we  were  now 
unable  to  obtain  sufficient  pasturage  for  our  animals.  The 
water,  moreover,  was  all  but  exhausted. 

On  the  following  day,  the  4th  of  August,  we  continued  our 
journey  to  Barmen,  where  we  arrived  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
the  same  day  safe  and  well. 

Thus  ended  an  expedition  which,  although  it-  might  not  have 
been  so  successful  as  we  had  anticipated,  was  not  without 
its  fruits. 


CHAPTER 


XVIII. 


TPS  DAMARAS WHENCE  THEY  CAME— THEIR  CONQUESTS THE  TIDE  TURNS 

DAMARA-LAND  ONLY  PARTIALLY  INHABITED CLIMATE SEASONS 

MYTHOLOGY RELIGION  SUPERSTITIONS  — MARRIAGE  POLYGAMY 

CHILDREN CIRCUMCISION BURY  THEIR  DEAD — -WAY  THEY  MOURN 

Children  interred  alive — burial  of  the  chief,  and  superstitions 

CONSEQUENT  THEREON MALADIES DAMARAS  DO  NOT  LIVE  LONG  ; THE 

CAUSE  THEREOF— FOOD— MUSIC  AND  DANCING HOW  THEY  SWEAR 

POWER  OF  THE  CHIEFTAIN  LIMITED SLOTHFUL  PEOPLE NUMERALS 

ASTRONOMY— — DOMESTIC  ANIMALS  ; THEIR  DISEASES. 

Frequent  opportunities  had  by  this  time  been  afforded  me  of 
observing  and  studying  the  physical  features  of  the  country,  the 
character  of  the  natives,  arid  their  religious  rites  and  customs. 
Having  previously  said  but  little  on  these  subjects,  I propose 
now  to  give  some  account  of  them.  Though,  from  the  lying 
habits  of  the  Danraras,  great  difficulty  has  arisen  in  arriving  at 
the  truth,  I believe  that  my  statements  will  not  be  very  wide 
of  the  mark.  Besides  the  concurrent  testimony  of  many  of 
the  natives,  I have  had  the  satisfaction,  on  comparing  my  notes 
with  those  of  the  missionaries,  to  find  them  agree  in  the  main ; 
and,  as  it  has  been  my  fate  to  witness  the  complete  ruin  and 
downfall  of  the  Damaras — who,  probably  before  another 
century  lias  passed  away,  will  be  forgotten — I think  that  a 
connected  and  somewhat-detailed  description  of  their  history 
may  not  be  unacceptable  to  the  general  reader. 

That  the  Damaras  have  not  resided  for  any  length  of  time  in  the 
country  which  they  now  occupy,  is  quite  certain,  though  whence 
they  came  is  doubtful.  Some  of  these  people  point  to  the  north 
as  their  original  home  ; others  conjecture  that  they  migrated 


1.7  0 THE  DAMARAS:  WHENCE  THEY  CAME. 

from  the  northeast.1  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  would  appear  quite 
certain  that,  about  seventy  years  ago,  not  a Damara  was  to  be 
found  south  of  the  Ivaoko — but  that,  at  some  time  within  this 
period,  they  invaded  the  country,  then  inhabited  by  bushmen 
;mii  Hill-Damaras,  the  last  being  in  all  probability  the  abori- 
gines. Not  having  a warlike  disposition,  the  Hill-Damaras 
were  easily  subdued,  and  those  who  were  not  killed  were  made 
captives.  The  few  that  escaped  took  refuge  among  the  moun- 
tains, or  other  inhospitable  and  inaccessible  regions,  where  they 
ire  still  found  dragging  on  a most  miserable  and  degraded 
existence. 

The  Damaras  were  once,  undoubtedly,  a great  nation  ; but, 
unlike  others  which  gradually  become  powerful  by  the  union  of 
a number  of  smaller  tribes  under  the  head  of  a single  chief  or 
king,  they  have  dwindled  into  an  endless  number  of  petty 
tribes,  ruled  by  as  many  chiefs. 

After  their  conquest  of  the  country,  the  Damaras  continued 
to  extend  themselves,  without  much  opposition,  to  the  east 
nearly  as  far  as  Lake  Ngami,  and  to  about  the  twenty-fourth 
degree  of  latitude  on  the  south.  At  both  these  points,  however, 
they  were  checked  in  their  onward  career.  At  first  they  were 
attacked  by  the  Matjo’nas,  with  whom,  from  time  to  time,  they 
had  several  desperate  conflicts  ; and  though  they  appear  to 
have  fought  well,  they  were  ultimately  obliged  to  retreat  with 
considerable  loss.  But  it  was  from  the  Namaqua-Hottentots, 
that  they  were  destined  to  experience  the  greatest  reverse,  by 
whom,  as  will  by-and-by  be  shown,  they  were  finally  destroyed 
or  broken  up. 

About  the  period  of  the  conquest  alluded  to,  a small  tribe  of 
Namaqua-Hottentots  had  pitched  their  tents  on  the  banks  of 
the  Orange  river  under  the  rule  of  Jonker  Afrikaner,2  who  was 

1 In  my  journey  to  the  Lake  Ngami,  at  an  after  period,  I observed  whole  forests 
of  a species  of  tree  called  Omumborombonga,  the  supposed  progenitor  of  the 
Damaras.  This  fact,  coupled  with  our  knowledge  that  all  the  tribes  to  Ihe  north 
are  more  or  less  conversant  with  agriculture,  of  which  the  Damaras  know  nothing 
(having  no  word  in  their  language  for  cereal  food),  and  that  many  of  the  nations 
to  t he  east  are  partly  pastoral,  would  seem  to  indicate  a northeast  or  east  direc- 
tion as  their  original  home. 

2 His  father,  Christian  Afrikaner,  once  lived  within  the  present  boundary  of  the 
Cape  Colony  ; but  his  brother  having  killed  a Dutch  farmer,  from  whom  the  tribe 
is  said  to  have  suffered  much  wrong,  he  and  his  kindred  were  obliged  to  fly  the 
country.  He  then  settled  on  the  banks  of  the  Garib  or  Orange  river,  where  he 
soon  became  famous  for  his  daring  and  ferocious  exploits  against  his  neighbors. 
In  this  state  of  things  he  was  found  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moffat,  well-known  tor  his 
missionary  labors  in  Southern  Africa,  who,  after  having  experienced  much  opposi- 


THE  TIDE  TURNS CLIMATE SEASONS.  171 


then  a chief  only  of  secondary  importance  ; yet,  as  his  people 
were  possessed  of  horses  and  fire-arms,  he  soon  became  formida- 
ble to  his  enemies.  The  territory,  lying  between  him  and  the 
Damaras,  was  occupied  by  various  tribes  of  Namaquas,  who,  on 
finding  themselves  hard  pressed  by  the  Damaras,  sent  to  Jonker 
to  demand  hi?  assistance.  This  he  granted ; and,  like  another 
Caesar,  “came,  saw,  and  conquered.”  Indeed,  that  day  sealed 
the  fate  of  Damara-land.  The  Namaquas,  at  first  the  oppressed, 
became  in  their  turn  the  oppressors.  In  proportion  as  they 
grew  powerful  and  successful,  the  prospect  of  booty,  which  the 
vast  herds  of  sleek  cattle  so  amply  afforded  them,  was  the  sole 
object  of  their  inroads  upon  the  Damaras.  They  appeared  to 
have  adopted  the  motto  of  the  old  sea-kings — 

“ That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power, 

And  they  should  keep  who  can.” 

From  my  first  arrival  in  the  country  to  the  time  I left  it — a 
period  of  less  than  four  years — -the  Namaquas  had  deprived  the 
Damaras  of  fully  one-half  of  their  cattle,  the  other  portion  hav- 
ing already  been  taken  from  them  previously  to  my  visit.  With 
the  loss  of  their  property,  followed  that  of  their  independence. 

Although  a large  tract  of  country  is  marked  on  the  map  as 
Damara-land,  a small  portion  only  is  inhabitable.  This  may 
also  be  affirmed  of  Namaqua-land  ; and  in  both  cases  the  dis- 
parity arises  either  from  scarcity  of  water,  or  the  frequency  of 
inextricable  jungles  of  thorn-wood. 

Damara-land  being  situated  in  the  tropic  of  Capricorn,  the 
seasons  are  naturally  the  reverse  of  those  in  Europe.  In  the 
month  of  August,  when  our-  summer  may  be  said  to  be  at  an 
end,  hot  westerly  winds  begin  to  blow,  which  quickly  parch  up 
and  destroy  the  vegetation.  At  the  same  time,  whirlwinds 
sweep  over  the  country  with  tremendous  velocity,  driving  along 
vast  columns  of  sand,  many  feet  in  diameter,  and  several  hun- 
dred in  height.  At  times  ten  or  fifteen  of  these  columns  may  be 
seen  chasing  each  other.  The  Damaras  designate  them  Oruk- 
umb’ombura,  or  rain-beggars,  a most  appropriate  name,  as  they 
usually  occur  just  before  the  first  rains  fall. 

Showers,  accompanied  by  thunder  and  vivid  lightning,  are  not 
unusual  in  the  months  of  September  and  October  ; but  the  regu- 


tion,  finatly  succeeded  in  converting  him  to  Christianity.  At  his  death  the  pres- 
ent Jonker  Afrikaner,  though  an  elder  brother  was  still  living,  assumed  the  chief- 
tainship, which  occasioned  a division  in  the  tribe,  and  was,  moreover,  the  original) 
cause  of  their  migration  north  ward. 


172 


A1  iTHOLuiil  . 


lar  rains  do  not  set  in  till  December  and  January,  when  they 
continue,  with  but  slight  intermission,  till  May.  In  this  month 
and  June,  strong  easterly  winds  prevail,  which  are  not  only 
disagreeable  but  injurious  to  health.  The  lips  crack,  and  the 
skin  feels  dry  and  harsh.  Occasionally,  at  this  time,  tropical 
rains  fall,  but  they  do  more  harm  than  good,  as  a sudden  cold, 
which  annihilates  vegetation,  is  invariably  the  result.  In  July 
and  August,  the  nights  are  the  coldest,  and  it  is  then  no  unusual 
thing  to  find  ice  half  an  inch  thick.  Snow  is  of  rare  occurrence. 

The  Damaras  and  the  Bechuanas  have  nearly  the  same  notion 
as  to  their  origin.  Thus  the  latter  believe  that  the  founders  of 
their  nation,  and  the  animals  of  the  country,  emerged  from  a 
cave,  whilst  the  former  declare  that  they  sprung  from  a tree. 
When  men  and  beasts  first  burst  from  the  parent  tree — so  runs 
the  tradition — all  was  enveloped  in  profound  darkness.  A Da- 
mara  then  lit  a fire,  which  so  frightened  the  zebra,  the  giraffe, 
the  gnoo,  and  every  other  beast  now  found  wild  in  the  country, 
that 'they  all  fled  from  the  presence  of  man,  whilst  the  domestic 
animals,  such  as  the  ox,  the  sheep,1  and  the  dog,  collected  fear- 
lessly round  the  blazing  brands. 

The  tree,  from  which  the  Damaras  are  descended,  is  to  be  seen, 
they  say,  at  a place  called  Omaruru.  But  somehow  there  must 
be  more  than  one  parent  tree;  for,  both  in  going  and  coming, 
we  met  with  several  Omumborombongas,  all  of  which  the  na- 
tives treated  with  filial  affection.2 

The  chief  deity  of  the  Damaras  is  called  Oinukuru.  His 
abode  is  said  to  be  in  the  far-north  ; but  it  would  be  somewhat 
difficult  to  specify  his  attributes.  Each  tribe  is  supposed  to 
have  its  own  Omukuru,  to  whom  it  ascribes  all  its  superstitious 
habits  and  customs,  peculiarities,  etc.  The  tribe  is  divided  into 
castes  or  “ eandas.”  Thus  there  are  Ovakdeyuba,  those  of  the 
sun,  or  related  to  the  sun,  and  Ovakuenombura,  those  related  to 
the  rain,  etc.,  each  of  which  has  its  peculiar  rites  and  supersti- 
tions. These,  moreover,  are  derived  from  the  mother,  and  not 
from  the  father.  If  a man  of  the  Ovakueyuba  marries  a woman 
of  the  Ovakuenombura,  their  offspring  adopt  the  notions,  etc., 
peculiar  to  the  latter,  and  vice-versa.  They  cannot  account  for 
this  division  of  castes ; they  merely  say  it  is  derived  from  the 
“ wind.”  Some  religious  notions,  no  doubt,  lie  at  the  bottom 
of  this. 

1 Some  Damaras  attribute  the  origin  of  the  sheep  to  a large  stone, 

8 The  grain  of  this  tree  is  so  very  close,  and  the  wood  so  exceedingly  weighty, 
that  we  gave  it  the  name  of  the  “ iron  tree.'’ 


KELiaiO  i\' S UPERSTITION. 


173 


Though  the  Damaras  do  not  profess  absolutely  to  believe  in  a 
life  hereafter,  they  have  a confused  notion  of  a future  state. 
Thus,  they  not  unfreqnently  bring  provisions  to  the  graves  of  a 
deceased  friend  or  relation,  requesting  him  to  eat  and  make 
merry-  In  return,  they  invoke  his  blessing,  and  pray  for  success 
against  their  enemies,  an  abundance  of  cattle,  numerous  wives 
and  prosperity  in  their  undertakings. 

The  spirits  of  deceased  persons  are  believed  to  appear  after 
death,  but  are  then  seldom  seen  in  their  natural  form.  They 
usually  assume  on  such  occasions  the  shape  of  a dog,  having, 
not  unfrequently,  the  foot  of  an  ostrich.  Any  individual  to 
whom  such  an  apparition  (Otiruru)  might  appear,  especially  if 
it  should  follow  and  accost  him,  is  supposed  to  die  soon  after. 

The  Damaras  have  great  faith  in  witchcraft.  Individuals 
versed  in  the  black  art  are  called  Omundu-Onganga,  or  Omun- 
du-Ondyai,  and  are  much  sought  after.  Any  person  falling  sick 
is  immediately  attended  by  one  of  these  impostors,  whose  pana- 
cea is  to  besmear  the  mouth  and  the  forehead  of  the  patient 
with  the  ordure  of  the  hyena,  which  is  supposed  to  possess  par- 
ticularly healing  virtues.  The  sorcerer,  moreover,  makes  signs 
and  conjurations. 

Some  very  singular  superstitions  about  meat  exist  among  the 
Damaras.  Thus  a man  will,  perhaps,  not  eat  the  flesh  of  an  ox 
which  may  happen  to  be  marked  with  black,  white,  or  red  spots. 
Others  refuse  to  partake  of  a sheep  should  it  have  no  horns, 
whilst  some  would  not  touch  the  meat  of  draught-oxen,  accord- 
ing to  the  rule  of  the  eanda”  to  which  he  belongs.  If  meat  is 
offered  a Damara,  he  will  accept  it;  but  before  he  ventures  to 
eat  it,  he  carefully  inquires  about  the  color  of  the  animal, 
whether  it  had  horns,  etc.  ; and  should  it  prove  forbidden  food, 
he  will,  in  a, 11  probability,  leave  it  untouched,  even  though  he 
might  be  dying  of  hunger.  Some  even  carry  their  scruples  so 
far  as  to  avoid  coming  in  contact  with  vessels  in  which  such 
food  has  been  cooked  ; nay,  even  the  smoke  of  the  fire  by  which 
it  is  prepared  is  considered  injurious.  Hence,  the  religious 
superstitions  of  these  people  often  expose  them  to  no  small 
amount  of  inconvenience  and  suffering. 

The  fat  of  particular  animals  is  supposed  to  possess  certain 
virtues  ; and  is  carefully  collected  and  kept  in  vessels  of  a pecu- 
liar kind.  A small  portion  of  this  is  given  in  solution  with 
water,  to  persons  who  return  safely  to  their  homes  ^ after  a 
lengthened  absence  at  the  cattle-posts.  The  chief  also  makes 
use  of  it  as  an  unguent  for  his  body. 

When  an  ox  accidentally  dies  at  a chief’s  werft,  his  daughtei 


174 


SUPERSTITION. 


(♦lie  offspring,  probably  of  his  favorite  or  chief  wife)  ties  a clou- ' 
Lde  knot  on  her  leather  apron.  Should  this  be  neglected,  a 
“ curse”  is  believed  to  be  the  consequence.  She  also  places  a 
piece  of  wood  on  the  back  of  the  dead  animal,  praying  at  the 
same  time  for  long  life,  plenty  of  cattle,  etc.  This  woman  is 
called  Ondangere,  and  is  to  the  Damaras  what  the  vestal  was 
amongst  the  ancient  Romans  ; for,  besides  attending  to  the  sac- 
rifices, it  is  her  duty  to  keep  up  the  “ holy  fire”  (Omuran- 
gere). 

Outside  the  chief’s  hut  where  he  is  accustomed  to  sit  in  the 
daytime,  a fire  is  always  kept  burning  ; but,  in  case  of  rain  or 
bad  weather,  it  is  transferred  to  the  hut  of  the  priestess,  who, 
should  it  be  deemed  advisable  to  change  the  site  of  the  village, 
precedes  the  oxen  with  a portion  of  this  consecrated  fire,  every 
possible  care  being  taken  to  prevent  it  from  being  extinguished. 
Should,  however,  this  calamity  happen,  the  whole  tribe  is  imme- 
diately  assembled,  and  large  expiatory  offerings  of  cattle  are 
made;  after  which  the  fire  is  relit  in  the  primitive  way — name- 
ly, by  friction.  This  again  reminds  us  of  the  “holy  fire”  of  the 
Romans,  which,  under  similar  circumstances,  could  only  be 
relit  by  fire  from  heaven. 

A portion  of  such  fire  is  also  given  to  the  head  man  of  a kraal, 
when  about  to  remove  from  that  of  the  chief.  The  duties  of  a 
vestal  then  devolve  on  the  daughter  of  the  emigrant. 

For  every  wild  animal  that- a yonng  man  destroys,  his  father 
makes  four  small  oblong  incisions  on  the  front  of  the  son’s 
body  as  marks  of  honor  and  distinction.  He  is,  moreover,  pre- 
sented with  a sheep  or  cow.  If  either  of  these  should  produce 
young  ones,  they  are  slaughtered  and  eaten,  but  only  males  are 
allowed  to  partake  of  such  food. 

The  chief  of  a kraal  must  always  taste  the  provisions  before  they 
can  be  eaten  by  the  rest  of  the  tribe.  Though  sweet  milk 
when  boiled,  may  be  freely  drunk  by  the  women  and  children, 
it  is  more  commonly  swallowed  in  an  acid  state. 

Should  a sportsman  return  from  a successful  hunt,  he  takes 
water  in  his  mouth,  and  ejects  it  three  times  over  his  feet,  as 
also  i i the  fire  of  his  own  hearth. 

When  cattle  are  required  merely  for  food,  they  are  suffocated  ; 
but  if  for  sacrifices,  they  are  speared  to  death.  On  the  decease 
of  one  of  the  tribe,  they  have  also  the  cruel  practice  of  destroy- 
ing the  poor  beasts  with  clubs,  which  I believe  to  be  a kind 
of  expiatory  offering.  The  flesh  of  such  cattle  as  are  killed 
on  the  death  of  a chief,  is  principally  consumed  by  his  serv- 
ants. 


POLYGAMY. 


175 


The' women  many  at  very  much  the  same  age  as  those  in  Eu- 
rope ; but  few  ceremonies  are  connected  with  this  important 
affair.  A girl  is  sometimes  betrothed  to  a man  when  yet  a 
child;  though,  under  such  circumstances,  she  remains  with  her 
parents  till  of  proper  age.  The  woman,  upon  being  asked  in 
marriage,  puts  on  a helmet-shaped  head-dress,  kept  in  readiness 
for  such  occasions,  and,  for  a certain  time,  hides  her  face  by 
means  of  a piece  of  thin,  soft  skin,  attached  to  the  front  of  the 
“ casque,”  which  she  can  raise  or  let  fall  in  much  the  same  man- 
i; ,-<•  as  a curtain. 

Polygamy  is  practiced  to  a great  extent,  and,  as  has  been 
said  elsewhere,  women  are  bargained  for  like  merchandise,  the 
price  varying  according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  husband. 
Yet,  though  a man  may  have  as  many  wives  as  he  likes,  I never 
knew  one  to  have  more  than  twenty! — a pretty  good  supply, 
however,  it  must  be  admitted. 

The  favorite  wife  always  takes  precedence  of  the  rest  ; and 
if  she  should  have  a son  he  succeeds  to  his  father’s  possessions 
and  authority. 

Each  wife  builds  for  herself  a hut  of  a semi-circular  form,  the 
walls  of  which  consist  of  boughs,  sticks,  etc.,  the  whole  being 
plastered  over. 

Twins  are  not  uncommon  with  the  Damaras.  Children  are, 
generally  speaking,  easily  reared.  During  infancy,  sheep’s 
milk  constitutes  their  chief  diet.  Their  heads  are  more  or  less 
deprived  of  hair  ; the  boys  are  shaved,  but  the  crown  of  the 
head  of  the  girls  is  left  untouched.  Even  grown-up  females 
follow  this  custom.  To  the  hair  thus  left  they  attach — not 
very  unlike  the  Ovambo — thin  strings,  made  from  some  fibrous 
substance. 

All  males  are  circumcised  ; but  no  particular  period  of  life  is 
prescribed  for  this  operation,  which  usually  takes  place  when 
any  event  of  national  interest  occurs. 

Children  are  named  after  great  public  incidents;  but,  as  they 
grow  up,  should  any  circumstance  arise  of  still  greater  import- 
ance to  the  community  they  are  renamed  ; retaining,  however, 
the  original  appellation.  And  since  there  may  be  no  limit  to 
remarkable  transactions,  it  follows  that  an  individual  may  have 
move  names  than  any  Spanish  hidalgo  can  boast. 

Between  the  age  of  fifteen  and  twenty,  both  sexes  chip  a 
wedge-shaped  piece  of  the  two  centre  teeth  in  the  upper  jaw, 
and  at  a later  period  they  extract  entirely  from  the  lower  two 
or  three  teeth.  The  first  operation  is  usually  performed  by 
means  of  a piece  of  iron,  a flint,  or  simply  a stone. 


L76  BURNING  THE  DEAD BARB  A 1X0  US  CUSTOM. 


The  Dam  ary  s bury  their  dead.  Immediately  after  dissolution, 
the  back-bone  of  the  corpse  is  broken  with  a stone,1  and  it  is 
then  bent  together  with  the  chin  resting  on  the  knees.  After- 
wards it  is  wrapped  in  ox-hides,  and  deposited  in  a hole  in  the 
ground  dug  for  the  purpose,  care  being  taken  to  place  the 
face  towards  the  north.  This  is  done,  they  say,  to  remind  them  j 
(the  natives)  whence  they  originally  came.  The  Bechuana 
mode  of  disposing  of  the  dead  is  very  similar. 

Upon  the  death  of  one  of  the  tribe,  the  whole  population  of 
the  place  assemble  to  deplore  the  event.  The  bowlings  and 
lamentations  on  such  occasions  are  most  discordant  and  dread- 
ful. Tears  are  considered  favorable  signs,  and  the  more  plenti- 
fully they  fall  on  the  corpse,  the  better.  Two  months  is  the  usual 
period  for  a son  to  mourn  his  hither  ; but  the  time  is  modified 
according  to  circumstances.  The  wealthier  the  deceased,  the 
greater  the  outward  signs  of  sorrow- — a kind  of  feeling  which 
at  any  rate,  bears  some  approximation  to  that  of  civilized  life. 

During  the  season  of  mourning,  the  mourner  wears  a dark- 
colored  skin  cap,  conically  shaped  on  the  top,  with  certain 
ornaments  affixed  to  it.  Round  the  neck  is  suspended  a “ riem,” 
to  the  two  extremities  of  which  are  attached  a small  piece  of 
ostrich  egg-shell.  In  case  of  the  death  of  a valued  friend,  the 
adults  will  occasionally  shave  the  head  completely,  and  keep  it 
in  that  state  for  years. 

When  a woman  in  reduced  circumstances  dies,  and  leaves  a 
chiid,  it  is  not  unfrequently  buried  alive  with  its  mother.  Mr. 
Rath  was  once  fortunate  enough  to  be  the  means  of  saving  a 
child  that  was  about  to  be  destroyed  in  this  barbarous  man- 
ner. 

After  having  consigned  the  remains  of  a chief  to  his  last 
resting-place,  they  collect  his  arms,  war-dress,  etc.,  and  suspend 
them  to  a pole,  or  to  a tree,  at  the  head  of  the  grave.  The 
horns  of  such  oxen  as  have  been  killed  in  commemoration  of 
the  occasion,  are  hung  up  in  like  manner — a custom  also  found 
among  the  natives  of  Madagascar.  The  tomb  consists  of  a large 
heap  of  stones,  surrounded  by  an  inclosure  of  thorn-bushes,  no 
doubt  to  prevent  hyaenas  and  other  carnivorous  animals  from 
extracting  the  corpse.  Sometimes,  however,  the  chief,  should 
he  have  expressed  a wish  to  that  effect,  instead  of  being  buried, 
is  placed  in  a reclining  position  on  a slightly  raised  platform  in 

1 1 am  told  that  this  is  not  unfrequently  done  before  life  is  quite  extinct ! It  is, 
moreover,  affirmed,  that  when  the  sick  man  begins  to  breathe  hard,  a skin  is  im- 
mediately thrown  over  his  face,  which,  no  doubt,  often  causes  premature  death. 


DEATH  OF  A CHIEP 


177 


the  centre  of  his  own  hut,  which,  in  such  a case,  is  surrounded 
by  stout  and  strong  palisadings. 


When  a chief  feels  his  dissolution  approaching,  he  calls  his 
sons  to  the  bedside,  and  gives  them  his  benediction,  which  con- 
sists solely  in  wishing  them  an  abundance  of  the  good  things  of 
this  world. 

The  eldest  son  of  the  chief’s  favorite  wife  succeeds  his 
father;  and  as  soon  as  the  obsequies  are  over,  he  quits  the  deso- 
late spot,  remaining  absent  for  years.  At  last,  however,  he 
returns,  and  immediately  proceeds  to  his  parent’s  grave,  where 
he  kneels  down,  and  in  a whispering  voice  tells  the  deceased 
that  he  is  there  with  his  family,  and  the  cattle  that  he  gave 
him.  He  then  prays  for  long  life,  also  that  his  herds  may  thrive 
and  multiply  ; and  in  short,  that  he  may  obtain  all  those  things 
that  are  dear  to  a savage.  .TIAs  duty  being  performed,  he  con- 


DA3IARA  GRAVE. 


178 


MALADIES. 


structs  a kraal  on  the  identical  spot  where  once  the  ancestral 
camp  stood  ; even  the  huts  and  the  fire-places  are  placed  as 
much  as  possible  in  their  former  position.  The  chief’s  own  hut 
is  always  upon  the  east  side  of  the  inclosure. 

The  flesh  of  the  first  animal  slaughtered  here  is  cooked  in  a 
particular  vessel  ; and,  when  ready,  the  chief  hands  a portion 
of  it  to  every  one  present.  An  image,  consisting  of  two  pieces 
of  wood,1  supposed  to  represent  the  household  deity,  or  rather 
the  deified  parent,  is  then  produced,  and  moistened  in  the  plat- 
ter of  each  individual.  The  chief  then  takes  the  image,  and, 
after  affixing  a piece  of  meat  to  the  upper  end  of  it,  he  plants 
it  in  the  ground,  on  the  identical  spot  where  his  parent  was 
accustomed  to  sacrifice.  The  first  pail  of  milk  produced  from 
the  cattle  is  also  taken  to  the  grave  ; a small  quantity  is  poured 
on  the  ground,  and  a blessing  asked  on  the  remainder. 

Fever  and  ophthalmia  (eye-sickness)  are  the  prevailing  mala- 
dies. The  symptoms  in  fever  are  head-ache,  pains  in  the  neck 
and  bowels,  general  weakness,  and  ague.  It  makes  its  appear- 
ance about  April  and  May,  or  when  the  periodical  rains  have 
ceased.  Ophthalmia,  on  the  other  hand,  begins  to  show  itself 
in  September  and  October,  but  reaches  its  maximum  when  the 
cold  season  sets  in.  The  first  sensation  experienced  is  as  if  the 
pupil  of  the  eye  was  too  large.  A gathering  of  water  in  the 
sides  and  under  the  eye-lids  then  ensues.  In  a short  time  this 
fluid  becomes  scaldingly  hot,  and,  if  not  quickly  and  carefully 
removed,  the  pain  will  be  intense.  The  sight  is  sometimes 
completely  destroyed  by  this  malady.  Indeed,  one  not  unfre- 
quentlv  meets  with  people  either  totally  blind,  or  minus  one 
eye.  Europeans  are  as  liable  to  these  inflictions  as  the  natives. 
I speak  from  experience,  having  myself  been  a severe  sufferer 
from  fever  and  ophthalmia. 

Comparatively  few  old  people  are  to  be  met  with  in  Damara- 
land,  for  which  several  reasons  may  be  assigned  ; such  as  their 
cruel  civil  broils,  and  their  want  of  compassion  for  aged  and 
disabled  individuals.  At  times,  indeed,  they  would  seem  to  do 
» all  they  can  to  hasten  the  death  of  such  sufferers.  S-ome 
instances  of  this  atrocity  have  come  to  my  knowledge  : one  of 
the  most  shocking  occurred  at  Barmen. 

Finding  that  a certain  poor  woman,  being  nearly  blind,  was 
unable  to  provide  for  herself,  Mr.  Hahn  took  compassion  on  the 
helpless  creature,  and  gave  her  a small  quantity  of  provision 

1 Each  caste  has  a particular  tree  or  shrub  consecrated  to  it.  Of  this  tree  or 
flhrub  a couple  of  twigs  or  sticks  represent  the  deceased. 


F O O D M USTC  AND  DANCIN  Or C USTOMS. 


179 


almost  daily.  The  brother,  finding  he  could  not  .obtain  the 
same  boon,  grew  jealous  of  the  preference  shown  to  his  sister, 
and  secretly  resolved  to  kill  her.  This  he  effected  by  taking 
her  to  a spot  destitute  of  water,  under  the  pretext  that  they 
were  to  dig  roots,  where  she  wTas  left  to  her  fate.  A boy,  who 
accompanied  them,  asserted,  that,  on  the  unnatural  brother 
returning  to  the  place  some  days  afterwards,  and  finding  his 
sister  still  lingering,  he  beat  her  about  the  head  with  his  knob- 
stick until  life  was  extinct. 

Milk  is  the  staple  food  of  the  Damaras.  They  eat  or  drink 
it  out  of  one  and  the  same  dish  without  its  being  cleaned,  other- 
wise than  occasionally  by  the  tongues  of  dogs.  The  people 
have  a notion  that  if  they  wash  their  “bamboos”  (pails),  the 
cows  would  cease  to  give  milk. 

With  the  exception  of  the  spoils  of  the  chase,  they  destroy 
but  few  animals  for  food.  Indeed,  unless  it  be  on  the  occasion 
of  a marriage,  a birth,  a death,  or  a circumcision,  cattle  are 
rarely  killed. 

The  Damaras  are  very  fond  of  music  and  dancing.  The  only 
musical  instrument  known  amongst  them  is  the  bow  (a  kind 
of  temporary  rude  Jews’-harp),  from  which  they  contrive  to 
extract  a sort  of  wild  melody.  By  this  instrument  the  per- 
former endeavors  (and  frequently  with  much  success)  to  imitate 
musically,  the  motion  peculiar  to  different  animals  ; for  exam 
pie,  the  awkward  gallop  of  the  giraffe,  the  quick  trot  of  tin 
zebra  and  the  lively  caperings  of  the  beautiful  springbok. 

The  dance  consists  mostly  of  mimic  representations  of  ths 
actions  of  oxen  and  sheep.  The  dancers  accompany  their  ges- 
ticulations by  monotonous  tunes,  and  keep  time  by  clapping 
their  hands,  and  striking  the  ground  with  their  feet. 

As  with  the  Ovambo,  the  eastern  custom  of  taking  off  the 
6andals,  before  entering  a stranger’s  house,  is  observed. 

The  Damaras  swear  “ by  the  tears  of  their  mothers.’ 
This  is  most  touching  and  beautiful : it  elevates  the  oath  to 
heaven. 

Generally  speaking,  a chief  has  but  nominal  power  over 
his  subjects.  On  an  attempt  to  punish  heavy  offenses,  the 
guilty  individual  often  coolly  decamps  with  his  cattle,  and 
takes  refuge  with  another  tribe.  In  minor  matters,  however, 
from  superstitious  customs  and  old  habits,  the  chief  is  more  or 
less  obeyed. 

The  Damaras  are  idle  creatures.  What  is  not  done  by 
the  women  is  left  to  the  slaves,  who  are  either  descendants  of 
impoverished  members  of  their  own  tribe  (is  not  this  another 


180  DOMESTIC  ANIMALS DISEASES  OF  CATTLE. 

approach  to  civilization  ?)  or  captured  bushmen.  The  former 
are  seized  upon  when  children,  and  mostly  employed  as  herds- 
men. 

The  Damaras  have  numerals  up  to  a hundred  ; notwith 
standing  which,  they  are  sorely  puzzled  should  the  sum 
exceed  the  number  of  fingers.  They  count  like  bad  poets, 
who  settle  their  metre  by  their  digits.  It  is  a most  amusing 
sight  to  witness  a group  trying  to  reckon  a dozen  head  of 
cattle. 

Though  they  give  names  to  many  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
they  have  a very  absurd  conception  of  their  character,  rotatory 
motion,  and  so  forth.  Thus,  many  imagine  that  the  sun  which 
sets  at  night  is  different  from  that  which  rises  in  the  morning. 
Like  the  children  who  wondered  what  was  done  with  the  old 
moons,  perhaps  these  savages  are  equally  perplexed  to  ascer- 
tain what  becomes  of  the  old  suns. 

The  domestic  animals  indigenous  to  the  country  are  oxen, 
sheep,  and  dogs.  The  latter  greatly  resemble  those  mentioned 
as  existing  among  the  Namaquas  ; but — be  it  said  to  the  honor 
of  the  Damaras — they  take  much  more  care  of  these  associates 
and  companions  of  man  than  their  southern  neighbors.  Indeed, 
I have  known  them  to  pay  as  much  as  two  fine  oxen  for  a dog. 

Of  the  Damara  cattle  I shall  have  occasion  to  speak  here- 
after. The  sheep  are  (or  rather  were)  plentiful,  and  the 
mutton  is  by  no  means  bad.  Though  somewhat  spare-looking, 
they  furnish  good  joints  when  cut  up.  Skin  and  offal  includ- 
ed. they  not  unfrequently  weigh  100  lbs.,  and  sometimes 
as  much  as  110  to  120  lbs.  They  have  large  tails  like  those 
of  the  Cape  Colony,  but  they  do  not  arrive  at  such  a formidable 
size.  They  have  no  wool  ; but  a kind  of  short,  glossy  hair 
(lying  close  to  the  skin)  covers  the  body.  The  greatest  pecu- 
liarity of  these  animals  is  their  color,  which  is  of  every  hue  and 
tint. 

Cattle  are  subject  to  several  diseases.  The  most  common 
and  dangerous  is  that  which  affects  the  throat,  and  which  in- 
variably proves  fatal.  Cataracts  on  the  eye,  frequently  followed 
by  blindness  and  swelling  of  the  feet,  are  also  very  common 
ailments. 

Sheep  often  die  from  the  blood  conglomerating  in  divers 
places  under  the  skin,  which  is  called  the  “ blood-sickness.” 
It  is  even  asserted  that  man  is  affected  by  this  disease  (some- 
times from  partaking  the  flesh  of  the  infected  animal),  and  that 
the  only  thing  to  save  him  under  such  circumstances  is  instantly 
to  cut  away  the  parts  affected. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


DISPATCH  A MESSENGER  TO  CAPE-TOWN — DEPART  FROM  BARMEN EIKHAMS 

EYEBRECHT DEPART  FROM  EIKHAMS ELEPHANT  FOUNTAIN TUNOBIS 

ENORMOUS  QUANTITIES  OF  GAME  SHOOTING  BY  NIGHT  AT  THE 

“SKARM” THE  AUTHOR  HAS  SEVERAL  NARROW  ESCAPES CHECKED  IN 

ATTEMPT  TO  REACH  THE  NGAMI THE  PARTY  SET  OUT  ON  THEIR  RE- 
TURN  REACH  ELEPHANT  FOUNTAIN HOW  TO  MAKE  SOAP PIT-FALLS 

A NIGHT  ADVENTURE GAME  SCARCE JOIN  HANS THE  PARTY  NEARLY 

POISONED ARRIVAL  AT  WALFISCH  BAY A TUB  ADVENTURE EXTRA- 
ORDINARY MORTALITY  AMONGST  THE  FISH AUTHOR  NARROWLY  ES- 
CAPES DROWNING ARRIVAL  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  VESSEL LETTERS 

FROM  HOME MR.  GALTON  RETURNS  TO  EUROPE REFLECTIONS. 

The  vessel  which  brought  the  missionary  stores  to  Walfiscis 
Bay  every  second  year,  was  expected  in  December,  and,  by  this 
opportunity,  we  hoped  to  be  able  to  return  to  Europe,  or  at 
least  to  the  Cape.  In  order,  however,  to  insure  a passage,  Mr. 
Gal  ton  dispatched  a messenger  to  his  banker  in  Cape-town,  to 
make  the  needful  arrangements.  In  the  mean  time,  as  we  had 
still  several  months  on  our  hands,  Galton  resolved  to  employ  the 
interval  in  making  an  excursion  to  the  eastward,  partly  with 
the  view  of  penetrating  to  the  Lake  Ngami,  our  original  object, 
and  partly  to  become  better  acquainted  with  great  Namaqua- 
land  and  its  semi-civilized  inhabitants.  Moreover,  the  prospect 
of  good  sport  with  the  larger  game,  which  every  one  said  we 
were  sure  to  meet  with  in  abundance,  was  a further  induce- 
ment to  undertake  the  journey. 

It  was  arranged  that  Hans  should  proceed  to  Walfisch  Bay 
with  one  of  the  vehicles  to  fetch  the  remainder  of  the  stores, 
etc.,  whilst  Galton  and  myself,  with  the  other  wagon,  prose- 


182 


DEPART  FROM  BARME  N E IKHAMS. 


cuted  our  journey  to  the  eastward.  A rendezvous  having  been 
appointed  where  Hans  was  to  meet  us,  we  left  Barmen  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  12th  of  August.  In  about  three  days  we 
reached  Eikhams,  the  residence,  as  already  said,  of  Jonker 
Afrikaner,  where  my  friend,  before  finally  leaving  the  country, 
was  anxious  to  settle  certain  disputes  between  the  native 
tribes. 

Eikhams  is  very  prettily  situated  on  the  slope  of  a hill, 
bare  at  the  summit,  but  at  its  base  adorned  with  very  fine 
groups  of  mimosas,  among  which  a tributary  to  the  Swakop 
winds  its  course.  It  was  the  only  spot  in  South  Africa  where 
I ever  saw  anything  resembling  a twilight.  This  was  produced 
from  the  reflection  of  the  setting  sun  on  the  peaks  of  the 
picturesque  mountain-ranges,  by  which  it  is  almost  entirely  sur- 
rounded. 

Eikhams  is  abundantly  supplied  with  water  from  three  or 
four  copious  springs,  and,  the  site  of  these  springs  being 
elevated,  the  land  in  the  lower  ground  is  easily  irrigated.  The 
natives  construct  gardens,  wherein  they  grow  many  sorts  of 
vegetables,  some  of  which  arrive  at  perfection.  The  soil  is 
exceedingly  fertile,  and  seems  well  suited  to  the  cultivation  of 
tobacco.  Taking  it  as  a whole,  Eikhams  is  the  prettiest  place  I 
ever  saw  either  in  Damara-land  or  Namaqua-land. 

About  twenty  minutes’  walk  from  Eikhams  is  a bountiful  hot 
spring.  The  water,  just  where  it  gushes  out  from  the  lime- 
stone-rock, has  a temperature  of  194  degrees  of  Fahrenheit. 
Mr.  Hahn  informed  me  that  here,  on  one  occasion,  lie  boiled  a 
piece  of  meat,  and  that,  though  not  quite  so  good  as  when 
dressed  in  the  ordinary  manner,  it  was  not  unpalatable. 

Eikhams,  as  already  said,  was  formerly  a Rhenish  missionary 
station.  It  was  founded  as  far  back  as  1843  by  the  Rev.  C.  H. 
llahn,  resident  at  Hew  Barmen  in  Damara-land.  After  a time, 
however,  it  was  given  up  to  the  Wesleyan  society,  which  sent 
Mr.  Haddy  to  reside  there.  This  gentleman  erected  an  ex- 
cellent dwelling-house,  and  a most  substantial  church.  For  a 
while  the  mission  flourished,  but  was  latterly  abandoned,  and 
the  station  is  now  rapidly  falling  into  decay.  This,  I am  sorry 
to  say,  has  been  the  fate  of  many  other  institutions  of  a similar 
nature  in  Southern  Africa. 

Amongst  other  gifts,  Mr.  Galton  presented  Jonker  with  a 
splendid  cocked  hat  and  richly  gilt  uniform.  A corn  ' 
fact,  that  had  once  probably  adorned  the  person  of 
man  when  paying  his  respects  to  majesty,  and  with 
African  chief  expressed  himself  highly  gratified. 


•c  aress,  in 
some  great 
which  ihe 


A NEW  ACQUAINTANCE 


8 3 


Being  desirous  of  obtaining  a likeness  of  so  famous  a personage 
as  Afrikaner,  I requested  him  one  day  to  put  on  this  costume, 
and  allow  me  to  take  his  portrait.  He  good-naturedly  consented 
to  my  solicitation,  and  on  the  following  morning  appeared  duly 
appareled.  We  rather  expected  to  have  a laugh  at  him,  since 
his  gait  and  figure  were  somewhat  unprepossessing  ; but  we 
were  disappointed.  Fie  marched  up  to  his  seat  with  as  much 
ease  and  dignity  as  if  he  were  familiar  with  the  usage  of  courts. 

During  our  stay  at  Eikhams,  we  became  acquainted  with  a 
Mr.  Evebrecht,  formerly  in  the  missionary  employ,  but  now 
Junker’s  right-hand  man.  In  addition  to  excellent  English  and 
Dutch,  he  spoke  the  Namaqua  and  the  Damara  tongues  rather 
fluently.  As  he  was  well-acquainted  with  the  country,  Mr. 
Galton  secured  his  services  for  our  tour  to  the  eastward,  and  he 
proved  of  the  greatest  assistance. 

On  arriving  at  Eikhams,  Mr.  Galton  imagined  that  his  business 
with  Jonker  would  soon  be  arranged  ; but  in  this  part  of  the 


184 


ELEPHANT  FOUNTAIN. 


world  expedition  is  not  the  order  of  the  day,  and  we  were  there- 
fore so  long  delayed  as  to  prevent  our  departure  until  the  30th 
of  August. 


WILD  BOAR’S  HEAD. 


In  the  course  of  our  journey,  we  encountered  a great  number 
and  variety  of  wild  animals,  and  consequently  our  larder  was 
well  supplied.  Indeed,  in  a few  hours,  on  a certain  night,  I 
bagged  no  less  than  three  hartebeests,  two  pallahs,  and  five 
zebras,  and,  had  I felt  inclined,  might  have  shot  double  this 
number.  We  also  observed  a few  wild  boars. 

After  a fortnight’s  harassing  travel,  we  arrived  at  Elephant 
Fountain,  formerly  a Wesleyan  missionary  station.  It  was  found- 
ed in  1847  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tindal ; but  had  of  late  years 
been  abandoned  in  consequence  of  a destructive  fever,  which 
carried  off  many  of  the  natives.  Even  the  few  Europeans,  set- 
tled there,  suffered  severely.  It  was  situated  within  the  territory 
of  the  chief,  Atnral,  who  was  born  and  bred  in  the  Cape-Colony, 
and,  if  I am  not  misinformed,  was  raised  to  his  present  dignity 
partly  through  missionary  influence. 

Elephant  Fountain  is  chiefly  inhabited  by  Hill-Damaras,  who 
cultivate  extensive  gardens  of  tobacco,  etc.  Game  was  abund- 
and  thereabouts,  but  we  had  not  then  time  to  look  after  it. 

From  Elephant  Fountain,  eastward,  the  country  was  repre- 
sented as  very  sandy  and  bushy  ; and,  as  our  oxen  were  in  a very 
indifferent  condition,  we  determined  to  leave  the  wagon  behind 
in  charge  of  John  Mortar,  the  cook,  and  to  prosecute  our  journey 
with  pack-and-ride  oxen.  Atnral,  with  a great  number  of  the 
tribe,  expressed  a wish  to  accompany  us,  chiefly  for  the  sake  of 
the  anticipated  sport.  As  wTe  traveled  on,  we  were  joined  by 
Lambert,  his  son,  and  other  Namaquas,  with  their  attendants, 
till  at  last  our  parry  amounted  to  several  hundred  individuals. 


T UNOBIS  . 


185 


After  no  little  inconvenience  and  misery,  on  account  of  the 
great  heat,  the  terrible  drought,  and  scarcity  of  pasturage  about 
the  lew  and  widely-separated  watering-places,  we  reached 
Tunobis,  or  Otjombinde,  on  the  3rd  of  October.  According 
to  Mr.  Gal  ton’s  observations,  this  place  is  situated  in  latitude 
21  deg.  55  min.,  and  21  deg.  55  min.  east  longitude. 

The  bushmen,  who  inhabited  these  parts,  declared  that  the 
country  between  here  and  the  Ngami  was  then  impassable,  and 
that  any  attempt  on  our  part  to  reach  it  would  be  certain  de- 
struction to  ourselves  and  cattle.  Though  we  did  not  altogether 
credit  their  story,  we  felt  that,  under  the  circumstances,  it 
would  have  been  highly  imprudent  to  proceed  further. 

From  a rough  calculation,  we  concluded  that  we  could  not 
be  above  nine  or  ten  days’  journey  from  the  lake  ; and  it  was, 
therefore,  with  no  little  reluctance  that  we  gave  up  the  attempt. 
However,  it  was  all  for  the  best ; and  we  ought,  indeed,  to  be 
grateful  to  the  natives  for  their  truthful  information.  From 
after  experience,  I am  quite  confident  that,  had  we  tried  to  push 
on  that  year,  nothing  could  have  saved  us  and  our  beasts  of 
burden  from  perishing  from  thirst.  After  leaving  Tunobis,  we 
should  not  have  met  with  water  for  at  least  three  days  and 
a-half  of  actual  travel,  besides  the  necessary  delays.  To  perform 
this,  even  with  fresh  animals,  would,  perhaps,  have  been  a thing 
unheard-of  in  these  regions  ; but  the  difficulty  was  magnified 
by  the  state  of  our  cattle,  which  were  now  reduced  to  skele- 
tons. Indeed,  even  before  reaching  Tunobis,  some  of  them  had 
been  left  behind  from  sheer  exhaustion. 

I must  confess  that,  on  first  perusing  my  friend’s  narrative, 
was  somewhat  startled  on  coming  upon  his  pleasant  assertion 
that  he  did  not  much  care  about  reaching  the  Lake  Ngami. 
It  is  true  that,  when  landing  at  Walfisch  Bay,  we  had  but  little 
hope  of  arriving  there ; but,  at  least  for  my  own  part,  I had 
always  conceived  the  great  goal  of  our  journey  to  be  precisely 
the  Ngami.  Moreover,  with  regard  to  his  supposition,  that  the 
country  hence  towards  the  lake  was  comparatively  open  and  free 
from  bushes,  and  that,  consequently,  a road  to  it  could  be  traced 
without  the  slightest  difficulty,  I can  only  say  that,  shortly  after 
leaving  Tunobis — not  to  mention  the  scarcity  of  water — the 
bush  became  so  dense,  and  the  thorns  so  tormenting,  that  I 
found  it  necessary  to  make  immense  detours , 'and  even  then  all 
our  clothes,  pack-saddles,  etc.,  were  literally  torn  to  ribbons. 

The  few  days  that  we  remained  at  Tunobis  were  spent  profit- 
ably and  pleasantly.  Besides  much  interesting  information  of 
the  country,  derived  from  the  bushmen,  part  of  which  has  since 


ISt>  QUANTITIES  OF  GAME NARROW  ESCAPES. 

been  substantiated,  we  had  abundant  shooting.  From  the  ab- 
sence of  water  within  a distance  of  two  or  three  days’  journey 
of  the  place,  the  number  of  animals  that  nightly  congregated 
here  to  quench  their  thirst  was  truly  astonishing. 

To  give. the  reader  an  idea  of  the  immense  quantity  of  game 
hereabouts,  I may  mention  that,  in  the  course  of  the  few  days  we 
remained  at  Tunobis,  our  party  shot,  amongst  other  animals,  up- 
wards of  thirty  rhinoceroses.  One  night,  indeed,  when  quite 
alone,  1 killed,  in  the  space  of  five  hours  (independently  of  other 
game)  no  less  than  eight  of  those  beasts,  amongst  which  were 
three  distinct  species.  And,  it  is  my  belief  that,  iff  had  perse- 
vered, I might  have  destroyed  double  the  number.1  But  I never 
took  delight  in  useless  slaughter.  In  our  case — and  I think  I 
may  say  in  all  cases  where  I have  been  concerned  in  killing  a 
great  number  of  wild  beasts — not  a pound  of  flesh  was  ever 
wasted  ; for,  what  we  did  not  require  for  our  own  use,  was  de- 
voured by  the  natives. 

As  another  evidence  of  the  enormous  quantity  of  game  in  this 
region,  1 may  state  that  the  fountain  in  question,  which  was  a 
copious  one — nay,  apparently  inexhaustible — was  almost  night- 
ly drank  dry. 

On  several  occasions,  I had  narrow  escapes  from  being  gored 
by  the  horns  of  these  ugly  monsters.  Thus,  one  animal,  on  re- 
ceiving a mortal  wound,  charged  me  with  such  fury  as  to  carry 
completely  away  the  fore  part  of  my  “ skarm,”  and  I only  saved 
my  life  by  throwing  myself  with  great  force  against  the  oppo- 
site wall,  which  fortunately  gave  way. 

At  another  time,  I was  walking  leisurely  up  to  a huge  female 
white  rhinoceros,  that  Mr.  Galton  had  killed  during  the  preceding 
night,  when  all  at  once  its  calf,  about  the  size  of  an  ox,  rushed 
upon  me  from  behind  the  carcass.  Its  movements  were  so 
rapid,  that  I had  neither  time  to  get  out  of  its  way  nor  to  level  my 
gun,  but  passing  the  barrel,  like  a stick,  against  its  chest,  I fired, 
and,  as  luck  would  have  it,  the  ball  caused  the  calf  to  swerve  on 
one  side,  and  take  itself  off'.  A short  time  afterwards,  and  at  no 
great  distance  from  our  encampment,  it  was  found  dead. 

Being  tired  of  shooting,  and  having  got  all  the  informa- 
tion we  could  from  the  bushmen,  we  bent  our  steps  homewards. 
Our  failure  in  not  reaching  the  Lake  Ngami  deeply  mortified 
me.  Night  and  day  I was  haunted  by  the  thought.  Taking 

1 When  we  thus  shot  at  night,  we  generally  ensconced  ourselves  in  a “ skarm,” 
that  is,  a small  circular  inclosure,  six  or  eight  feet  in  diameter,  the  walls  (usually 
consisting  of  loose  stones)  being  about  two  feet  in  height. 


NECESSITY  A VIRTUE. 


18? 


everything  into  consideration,  I could  not  help  thinking  that, 
under  more  favorable  circumstances,  success  would  crown  my 
endeavors,  were  I determined  to  renew  the  attempt.  Accord- 
ingly, I made  up  my  mind  first  to  see  my  friend  safe  from  the 
African  shore,  and  then  to  return  as  soon  as  the  rains  had 
fallen. 

I communicated  my  resolve  to  Mr.  Galton,  who  at  once  fully 
entered  into  my  views  ; and,  as  I had  neither  oxen  nor  wagons,  he 
kindly  promised  to  supply  me  with  both  ; as  also  with  such  ar- 
ticles of  barter  as  his  own  reduced  stores  afforded. 

After  nearly  a month’s  absence,  we  found  ourselves  safe  at 
Elephant  Fountain.-  Notwithstanding  we  had  been  almost 
solely  living  on  fresh  meat  during  this  time,  we  had  only  used  the 
one-half  of  a small  copper-cap  box1  of  salt!  I mention  the  cir- 
cumstance to  show  that  salt  is  not  strictly  necessary  to  man’s 
existence.  Moreover,  excepting  once  or  twice  at  the  missionary 
table,  we  had  not.  tasted  bread  for  many  months.  I had  so  to- 
tally forgotten  the  use  of  it,  that,  after  our  return  to  Barmen, 
on  being  euterlained  at  Mr.  Hahn’s  house,  X finished  my  meal 
without  noticing  the  piece  of  bread  which  was  conspicuous 
enough  alongside  my  plate.  Our  men  grumbled  a little  at  first 
at  being  deprived  of  bread;  but  they  also  soon  got  accustomed 
to  do  without  it,  nor  did  the  least  inconvenience  arise  from  its 
absence.  I have  always  heard  that  the  want  of  bread  and  vege- 
tables is  the  greatest  hardship  a man  can  experience.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  the  human  system — as  the  above  facts  demonstrate-r— 
is  capable  of  reconciling  itself  to  nearly  all  conditions  and  cir- 
cumstances. 

The  men  left  in  charge  of  the  wagons  were  well  ; but  poor 
John  Mortar,  the  cook,  looked  pale  and  thin.  On  asking  him 
the  cause,  he  pointed  to  the  fire  where  our  food  was  cooked, 
and,  with  something  like  an  oath,  exclaimed — “Sir,  look  at 
that  pot ! I have  been  watching  it  these  seven-and-twenty 
days  and  nights,  and,  after  all,  I find  that  my  labor  is  thrown 
away  !” 

Shortly  after  leaving  Elephant  Fountain,  John,  it  seems,  had 
set  about  making  soap,  of  which  our  supply  was  exhausted. 
Th  rough  some  mistake,  however,  he  used  unslacked  lime  in- 
stead of  the  alkali  obtained  in  the  country  from  the  ash  of  the 
native  soap-bush.  This  at  once  accounted  for  his  failure  in  re- 
gard to  the  article  itself,  and  his  own  emaciated  appearance. 

1 A copper-cap  box,  for  the  information  of  my  female  readers,  is  about  the  size 

of  a pill-box. 


1S8 


PIT-FALL.  S A NIGHT  ADVENTURE. 


Game,  as  has  been  said,  was  very  abundant  near  to  Ele- 
phant Fountain  ; and,  by  means  of  spacious  pit-falls,  great  num- 
bers of  wild  animals  were  almost  nightly  captured.  The  whole 
ground  in  the  neighborhood  of  Zwart  Nosop,  which  flowed  past 
the  place,  was  literally  a succession  of  pit-falls,  and  they  were 
so  cleverly  arranged  and  well  concealed,  that  it  required  the 
utmost  caution  in  walking  about.  Even  people  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  locality  ran  great  risk  of  being  precipitated 
into  these  dangerous  traps. 

Lions  were  numerous,  and  very  daring.  From  time  to  time, 
several  of  Amral’s  people,  whilst  lying  in  ambush  for  game  at 
night,  had  been  either  carried  off  or  fearfully  mangled  by  these 
beasts.  Finding  that  I was  somewhat  incautious,  the  chief  ex- 
pressed the  greatest  apprehensions  for  my  safety,  more  especially 
as  I was  usually  quite  alone. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  I must  confess  to  having  felt  rather 
uncomfortable.  I had  posted  myself  in  a dense  mimosa  brake, 
commanding  the  approach  to  the  Zwart  Nosop  river  at  a point 
much  frequented  by  wild  animals,  and  flanked  by  an  immense 
pit-fall.  The  darkness  was  deepened  by  surrounding  thick 
foliage  and  high  river-banks.  Indeed,  so  black  was  the  night, 
that  I could  not  discern  even  the  muzzle  of  my  gun.  The 
gloominess  of  my  solitude  was  increased  by  the  occasional 
“Qua-qua!”  of  the  night-heron,  which  made  the  succeeding 
hush  more  dreary  ; during  which  even  the  falling  of  leaves,  and 
rustling  of  insects  among  dry  grass,  was  hailed  as  a relief  to  the 
oppressive  dumbness.  To  a man  in  a savage  wilderness,  and 
without  a companion,  silence,  especially  when  combined  with 
utter  privation  of  light,  is  inexpressibly  solemn.  It  strikes  the 
mind  not  merely  as  a negation,  but  as  a threatening  presence. 
It  seems  ominous.  I shall  never  forget  the  loneliness  and  sense 
of  desolation  I felt  on  this  occasion.  It  was  past  midnight,  and 
still  no  game  appeared. 

Suddenly,  I fancied  I heard  the  purr  and  breathing  of  an  ani- 
mal close  behind  me  ; but,  as  no  other  indications  of  any  living 
thing  ensued,  I attributed  the  sounds  to  a heated  imagination. 
All  at  once,  however,  the  dismal  stillness  was  disturbed  bv  the 
piick  steps  of  a troop  of  pallahs,  descending  the  stony  slope  lead- 
ing direct  to  my  ambush.  Stooping  as  low  as  possible,  in  order  to 
catch  their  outline,  I awaited  their  arrival  with  my  gun  on  full 
cock.  Nearer  and  nearer  they  came,  till  at  last  I fancied  the 
leader  was  on  the  verge  of  the  pit-fall ; but  just  at  that  moment, 
there  was  a low  stifled  growl,  a rush,  and  then  a faint  cry  as  of 
some  dying  animal.  All  was  again  silent.  Though  the  impene- 


A NIGHT  ADVENTURE. 


189 


trable  darkness  prevented  me  from  seeing  anything,  I could  no 
longer  doubt  that  I was  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  a lion.  I 
freely  acknowledge  that  I felt  awed,  well  knowing  that  were 
he  to  attack  me,  I should  be  completely  at  his  mercy.  My  situa- 
tion was  critical  in  the  extreme.  Straining  eyes  and  ears  to 
discover  the  beast’s  whereabout,  I held  my  breath  in  fearful  sus- 
pense, whilst  every  nerve  was  strung  to  the  highest  pitch.  Pres- 
ently, I heard,  to  my  astonishment,  the  report  of  a gun  within 
fifty  paces  of  my  hiding-place  ; then  a second  and  a third  shot. 
This  made  matters  worse ; for  I now  became  apprehensive  that 
the  men,  not  aware  of  my  presence,  might  direct  their  fire 
towards  me.  I therefore  sprang  to  my  feet  and  vociferated — 
“ Who’s  there  ?”  “ Sir!  the  lion — the  lion  !”  replied  Evebrecht, 
for  it  was  no  other.  The  next  instant  he  stood  trembling  be- 
fore me.  Pie  had,  it  appeared,  been  sent  by  Amral  to  call  me 
back,  but  had  encountered  the  beast  in  his  path,  and  fired  in 
order  to  frighten  him  away. 

Though  I did  not  exactly  comply  with  the  wishes  of  the 
chief,  I deemed  it  advisable,  after  what  had  passed,  to  remove 
to  a more  open  place  where  1 was  less  likely  to  be  taken  by 
surprise.  Early  next  morning  a number  of  Hottentots  came  to 
examine  the  ground,  when,  as  I had  expected,  we  found  the 
foot-prints  of  a lion  at  the  very  back  of  my  “ skarm,”  and 
scarcely  distant  the  length  of  the  gun-barrel  from  my  own  per- 
son, where  he  had  evidently  been  crouching  pi’eviously  to  leap- 
ing on  the  pallah  (whose  cry  I had  heard  in  the  night),  but 
which,  though  wounded,  had  effected  its  escape.  How  far  the 
beast  intended  me  mischief  is  hard  to  say,  but  in  any  case,  my 
position  had  not  been  an  enviable  one. 

On  our  return-journey  to  Barmen,  it  rained  heavilv,  and  in 
some  places  the  landscape  looked  quite  revived.  Many  migra- 
tory birds,  such  as  the  swallow,  the  cuckoo,  and  others,  had 
again  made  their  appearance. 

The  animals  which,  during  the  dry  season,  are  compelled  to 
gather  round  the  springs  and  other  permanent  waters,  were 
enabled,  by  the  late  rains,  to  scatter  themselves  over  a large 
extent  of  country,  and  were  now  difficult  to  find.  There  can 
be  little  doubt  that  the  instinctive  power  of  animals — domes- 
ticated as  well  as  wild — is  capable  of  catching  the  scent  oi 
humid  winds  and  green  herbage,  at  a very  great  distance. 
Thus  I have  often  seen  oxen  turn  their  heads  towards  the  quar- 
ter where  distant  lightning  indicated  that  rain  had  fallen,  and 
sniff  with  evident  pleasure  the  breeze  produced  by  colder  air. 
Mr.  Moffat,  the  missionary,  mentions  an  instance  where  a great 


L 90  ANIMALS  SCENTING  HUMID  WINDS,  ETC. 

number  of  cattle  were  entirely  lost,  solely,  as  he  supposes,  from 
this  cause. 

“ Many  years  previous  to  my  sojourn  in  Namaqua-land,”'  says 
the  Reverend  gentlemen,  “ Afrikaner  thus  lost  the  greater  part 
of  his  cattle.  One  evening,  a strong  wind  commenced  blowing 
from  the  north  ; it  smelt  of  green  grass,  as  the  natives  expressed 
it.  The  cattle  not  being  in  folds,  started  oil  after  dark.  The 
circumstance  being  unprecedented,  it  was  supposed  they  had 
merely  wandered  out  to  the  common,  where  they  were  accus- 
tomed to  graze  ; but  it  was  found,  after  much  search,  that  some 
thousands  of  cattle  had  directed  their  course  to  the  north.  A 
few  were  recovered  ; but  the  majority  escaped  to  the  Damara 
country,  after  having  been  pursued  hundreds  of  miles.” 

For  my  own  part,  I have  frequently  passed  through  localities 
abounding  with  game  ; and  repassing  them  in.  a short  time, 
I have  found  them  deserted  without  any  apparent  cause.  As  I 
proceeded,  however,  I have  discovered  them  in  quite  different 
quarters,  and  ascertained  that  the  attraction  has  been  the  young 
grass,  which  was  either  produced  by  the  moisture  of  the 
atmosphere,  or  from  the  natives  having  fired  the  old  grass. 
The  rapidity  with  which  parched  and  sun-burnt  pasturages,  in 
tropical  climes,  are  converted  by  any  of  these  causes  into  luxu- 
riant savannahs,  is  incredible,  and  can  only  be  duly  estimated  by 
those  who  have  themselves  witnessed  such  changes. 

A stage  on  this  side  of  Eikhams,  we  encountered  Hans,  who 
had  met  with  a little  adventure  in  the  neighborhood  of  Schepp- 
man’s  Mountain,  where  he  had  one  day  unyoked.  He  had  been 
out  in  search  of  game,  when  on  his  return  he  was  astonished  to 
observe  a number  of  natives  rushing  towards  the  wagon,  no 
doubt  with  the  intention  of  plundering  it,  and  probably  of 
spearing  the  men  who  had  it  in  charge.  On  seeing  Hans  ap- 
proach with  a gun,  however,  they  all  took  to  their  heels,  but 
some  were  captured  ; and,  after  they  had  undergone  a sound 
drubbing,  and  been  threatened  with  death  should  they  ever  at- 
tempt a similar  outrage,  they  were  allowed  to  depart.  Not 
many  hours  elapsed  before  these  very  savages  returned  to  beg  for 
tobacco. 

We  were  sorry  to  find  that  our  cattle  looked  thin  and  misera- 
ble. Indeed,  Hans  had  experienced  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
bringing  on  the  wagon.  Restored  tranquillity  had  given  confi- 
dence to  the  Damaras,  who  were  now  flocking  in  great  numbers 
with  their  cattle  to  the  banks  of  the  Swakop,  the  result  of  which 
was  that  every  blade  of  grass  was  consumed  for  miles  around  on 
both  sides  of  the  river.  This  was,  indeed,  sad  news,  as  our  route 


ARRIVAL  AT  WALFISCH  BAY. 


191 


lay  precisely  through  these  parts,  and  our  draught  animals  were, 
by  this  time,  in  a distressingly  exhausted  and  reduced  state.  It 
required  some  efforts  on  our  side  to  overcome  these  difficulties, 
and  we  lost  no  time  in  retracing  our  steps.  After  Mr.  Galton 
had  disposed  of  some  of  the  superfluous  goods  to  the  natives,  and 
exchanged  the  run-away  mules  to  Jonker  for  cattle,  we  bade 
farewell  to  the  hospitable  hearth  of  the  missionaries  at  Barmen 
and  Richterfeldt,  and  proceeded  quickly  on  our  road  to  Walfisch 
Bay. 

On , arriving  at  the  confluence  of  the  Swakop  and  the  Tjobis 
rivers,  we  had  a narrow  escape  from  being  poisoned,  as  the  Hill- 
Damaras  had  mixed  the  juice  of  the  euphorbia  candelabrum  with 
the  stagnant  pool-water,  for  the  purpose  of  killing  buffaloes, 
which  were  numerous  hereabouts.  Fortunately,  by  having 
gone  in  advance  of  our  party,  in -the  hope  of  obtaining  a shot  at 
these  animals,  I discovered  the  poisoned  water  (easily  detected  by 
its  peculiar  clay  color)  in  time  to  prevent  an 3^  serious  mischief. 
Some  of  the  dogs  partook  of  it;  but  having  previously  taken 
their  fill  of  clear,  pure  water,  they  escaped  with  a heavy  vomit- 
ing. At  this  identical  place,  Hans  had,  a short  time  previously, 
found  several  dead  and  dying  buffaloes  that  had  been  pois- 
oned. 

The  symptoms  with  men,  after  imbibing  the  poison  in  ques- 
tion— not  the  least  of  the  many  dangers  to  which  the  African 
traveler  is  almost  daily  exposed — is  generally  a fullness  of 
the  system,  quick  pulsation,  giddiness,  and  a violent  “ flesh- 
quake.” 

Though  our  cattle  suffered  dreadfully  from  want  of  pasturage, 
we  l’eached  Walfisch  Bay,  on  the  5th  of  December,  without  the 
loss  of  a single  ox. 

The  missionary  vessel  had  not  yet  arrived  ; but  there  were 
two  others — a brig  and  a barque.  The  master  of  the  first  was 
an  Englishman,  in  search  of  guano  ; as  also  of  nitrate  of  soda, 
which  was  reported  to  exist  on  this  coast.  He  imagined  that 
he  had  really  found  the  latter  valuable  salt,  and  whispered 
his- discovery  to  us  as  a great  secret.  On  examining  the  speci- 
mens in  his  possession,  however,  it  was  found  to  be  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  pieces  of  common  soap  ! — part,  probably,  of 
the  cargo  of  some  wrecked  vessel.  The  action  of  the  water 
had  so  altered  the  soap  in  appearance,  that  the  mistake  was 
really  excusable.  On  learning  from  us  the  real  nature  of  his 
supposed  prize,  the  poor  captain,  as  maybe  imagined,  evinced 
no  little  chagrin  and  disappointment. 

The  second  ship  was  an  American,  in  search  of  the  sperm 


192 


A TUB  ADVENTURE. 


whale,  which  is  not  unfrequently  found  in  these  waters.  Our 
shabby  and  tattered  garments  and  unshaved  faces  induced  the 
captain  to  regard  us  at  first  with  suspicion,  taking  us  not 
improbably  for  outlaws,  unfit  for  other  society  than  savage 
men  and  beasts.  By  degrees,  however,  his  mind,  as  to  our 
proper  character,  was  set  at  rest ; and  we  were  hospitably 
entertained  on  board  his  ship,  which  was  scrupulously  clean 
and  orderly. 

The  crews  of  many  of  the  whaling  and  guano  ships  who 
were  in  the  habit  of  frequenting  Walfisch  Bay  had  behaved 
very  outrageously,  either  by  plundering,  or  wantonly  destroy- 
ing the  contents  of  the  temporary  store-house.  On  one  occa- 
sion they  had  been  amusingly  baffled  in  their  dishonest  and  dis- 
reputable practices.  At  the  time  of  which  I am  now  speaking, 
the  store  was  tenanted  by  Mr.  Dickson,  the  trader,  who  pos- 
sessed some  very  fine  lion  cubs.  These  a certain  captain  deter- 
mined to  purloin  ; and,  for  that  purpose,  sent  a number  of  his 
men  in  the  dead  of  the  night  to  carry  them  away.  The  animals 
were  usually  kept  in  a large  tub  or  barrel  ; but  it  so  happened 
that,  on  the  very  evening  the  master  had  fixed  on  for  the  execu- 
tion of  his  plan,  they  had  been  removed  elsewhere ; and  that 
Mr.  Bassingweight,  one  of  Mr.  Dickson’s  employes , had  taken  up 
his  abode  in  their  old  quarters.  The  sailors  entered  the  build- 
ing unperceived,  and  began  rapidly  to  roll  the  tub  away.  Mr. 
Bassingweight  at  first  imagined  he  was  dreaming;  but,  as  the 
motion  became  more  violent,  the  thumping  of  his  head  against 
the  wooden  walls  soon  brought  him  to  his  senses,  on  which  he 
roared  out  most  lustily.  The  unexpected  and  strange  noise  so 
terrified  the  sailors,  (hat  they  made  a precipitate  retreat. 

The  next  morning,  the  captain,  having  previously  had  the 
audacity  to  possess  himself  of  one  of  Mr.  Dickson’s  horses, 
came  riding,  very  drunk,  to  his  house,  and  in  an  imperious  and 
impudent  tone  demanded  the  cubs  to  be  given  up  to  him.  At 
the  same  time  he  thrust  an  immense  dagger  through  a dish  of 
pancakes,  which  a servant  was  busy  preparing.  Mr.  Dickson 
was  not  at  home  ; but  his  wife,  who  was  a shrewd  and  deter- 
mined woman,  not  only  refused  compliance,  but  commanded 
the  fellow  instantly  to  dismount,  and  go  about  his  business. 
On  Ins  hesitating,  she  unceremoniously  pulled  him  off  the 
horse,  and  threatened  to  knock  him  down  if  he  did  not  imme- 
diately leave  the  house.  Fearing,  however,  that  he  might 
return  with  his  crew  during  the  night  to  revenge  himself,  and 
perhaps  take  forcible  possession  of  the  young  lions,  she  ordered 
Bassingweight,  and  another  of  her  servants  (having  previously 


A FIGHT 


19^ 


primed  them  with  cordials  to  raise  their  spirits  and  courage)  to 
proceed,  at  dusk,  towards  the  Bay  to  watch  the  enemy’s  move- 
ments. Mrs.  Dickson’s  surmise  proved  correct ; for  the  men 
had  riot  gone  far  before  they  distinguished  the  clamorous  voices 
of  a number  of  persons  who  were  rapidly  approaching  them. 
Squatting  behind  some  sand  hillocks  they  allowed  the  marau- 
ders to  come  within  range,  when  they  fired  a shot  over  their 
heads,  which  had  the  desired  effect.  Without  waiting  for  fur- 
ther hostility,  Jack  instantly  bolted.  Elated  by  their  easy  suc- 
cess, Bassingweight  and  his  companion  instantly  gave  chase,, 
and  on  coming  up  with  the  fugitives,  a terrible  pele-mele  fight 
ensued.  Notwithstanding  one  of  the  men  was  almost  a giant 
in  strength  and  stature,  the  odds  were  too  great,  and  they  were 
on  the  point  of  being  overpowered.  At  this  critical  moment 
Bassingweight  called  loudly  for  assistance,  hoping  that  some  of 
the  natives,  who  occasionally  slept  on  the  beach,  might  come 
to  the  rescue.  To  their  inexpressible  relief  up  rose  from 
among  a number  of  empty  barrels,  which  happened  to  be 
ranged  along  the  shore,  a bush  man.  His  appearance  acted 
like  magic,  and  instantly  turned  the  cards  in  their  favor;  for 
the  sailors,  as  it  was  afterwards  ascertained,  imagining  the  casks 
to  be  savages  also,  and  dreading  probably  their  poisoned  arrows, 
were  seized  with  a panic,  and  fled  precipitately  in  every  direc- 
tion, some  rushing  up  to  their  necks  in  water,  whilst  others 
actually  fell  on  their  knees  begging  forgiveness  ! Unless  for 
the  bushman,  Bassingweight  assured  me  that  himself  and  com- 
panion must  have  been  inevitably  killed. 

The  bay  presented  at  this  time  a most  extraordinary  specta- 
cle, the  whole  being  covered  with  one  mass  of  dead  fish.  We 
could  only  account  for  so  unusual  a sight  by  supposing  that  an 
epidemic  had  occurred  amongst  them,  more  especially  as  it  did 
not  appear  to  be  confined  to  one  or  two  species  of  the  finny 
tribe,  but  to  all  which  are  indigenous  to  the  coast — the  gigantic 
shark  not  excepted.  In  some  of  the  more  sheltered  spots,  the 
fish  lay  so  deep,  that  I remember  on  one  occasion  to  have  had 
some  difliculty  in  forcing  my  way  through  iu  a small  mackintosh 
punt. 

As  may  well  be  expected,  the  effluvium  arising  from  such 
a mass  of  decomposed  matter  was  offensive  and  sickening 
Whether  all  .the  fish  died,  or  the  stench  drove  the  survivors 
away,  I am  unable  to  decide ; but  certain  it  is,  that  hardly  a 
fish  was  left  in  the  bay.  On  our  first  arrival  we  captured  large 
quantities  by  means  of  a small  seine-net,  but  now  all  our 
attempts  proved  futile. 

13 


194 


NARROW  ESCAPE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


An  incident  occurred  to  me  one  day  which  might  have  been 
attended  with  fatal  consequences.  A cutter  had  lately  arrived 
from  the  Cape,  the  object  of  the  captain  being  to  harpoon  the 
“ humpback”  whale,  which  at  this  season  of  the  year  abounds 
in  the  vicinity  of  Walfisch  Bay.  I had  paid  a visit  to  the  craft 
in  the  punt  mentioned.  On  my  return  it  came  on  to  blow  hard 
from  the  land.  In  calm  weather  the  punt  could  be  managed 
wifli  great  ease  ; but,  on  account  of  her  Hat  bottom  and  light 
construction,  it  was  impossible  to  make  head  against  a stiff 
breeze.  When  within  a stone’s  throw  of  the  shore,  she  became 
unmanageable,  and,  for  the  space  of  fully  one  hour,  all  my 
efforts  to  propel  her  were  unavailing.  At  last,  finding  my 
strength  failing,  I made  one  more  desperate  effort,  and,  having 
fortunately  succeeded  in  getting  her  into  shallow  water,  I 
leaped  over  the  side  and  ultimately  brought  her  to  a place  of 
safety.  My  arms  were  quite  paralyzed,  and  for  a while  I was 
unable  to  lift  them  from  ray  sides.  Had  the  struggle  lasted 
another  minute,  nothing  could  have  saved  me  from  being  blown 
out  into  the  open  sea,  and,  as  there  was  a gale  of  wind  at  the 
time,  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  result. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  being  then  at  Scheppmansdorf, 

I received  intelligence  that  the  long-expected  missionary  vessel 
had  arrived,  and  that  she  was  to  sail  in  a few  days  for  St. 
Helena.  On  the  following  morning,  the  first  day  of  the  year 
1852,  a parcel  of  European  letters  were  handed  to  me.  It  was 
now  fully  twenty  months  since  I had  heard  any  news  of  my 
friends,  and  I hailed  this  token  of  their  interest  in  my  behalf 
with  rapture.  But,  alas  ! — though  I had  much  to  be  thankful 
for — the  intelligence  was  damped  by  the  unexpected  tidings  of 
the  death  of  a younger  brother.  Poor  fellow!  notwithstanding 
he  and  I could  never  agree  during  life,  I loved  him  dearly. 
His  last  words,  uttered  in  delirium,  were  said  to  have  been 
addressed  to  me,  imploring  me  to  come  to  his  assistance.  He 
died  at  Rio  Janeiro  of  that  scourge,  the.  yellow  fever.  Peacs 
be  to  his  memory  ! The  cholera  was  also  raging  in  Swe- 
den, and  I trembled*  for  the  news  that  might  next  reach  me. 

I proceeded  immediately  to  Walfisch  Bay,  to  bid  farewell  to 
Dalton.  John  Williams,  John  Mortar,  and  Timbo  were  to 
accompany  him  to  St.  Helena,  whence  they  were  to  be  for- 
warded to  Cape-Town.  Hans — in  himself  a host — John  Allen, 
and  John  St.  Helena,  agreed  to  remain  with  me. 

My  specimens  of  natural  history,  which  had  been  collected 
with  much  care  and  trouble,  and  which  had  cost  me  many  a 
sleepless  night,  I consigned  to  Dalton’s  care.  They  consisted 


DEPARTURE  OF  MR.  QALTON REFLECTIONS.  195 


of  about  five  hundred  bird-skins,  nearly  double  that  number  of 
insects,  and  a few  odds  and  ends.  I also  took  this  opportunity 
tc  forward  several  letters  to  ray  European  friends. 

Grafton  appeared  delighted  with  the  prospect  of  soon  return- 
ing to  civilized  life.  Though  he  had  proved  himself  to  be 
capable  of  enduring  hardships  and  fatigue  as  well  as  any  of  us. 
it  was  evident  that  he  had  had  enough  of  it. 

The  schooner  was  to  have  sailed  on  the  5th  of  January;  but, 
in  consequence  of  the  arrival  of  “ The  Grecian”  man-of-war, 
then  cruising  off  the  west  coast,  it  was  postponed  till  the  next 
day.  As  the  schooner  gradually  disappeared  from  view,  I 
began  to  feel  in  full  force  the  lonelines  of  my  situation,  and  the 
loss  of  my  friend’s  company.  It  would  seem  that  the  further 
the  object  of  our  esteem  and  regard  is  separated  from  us,  the 
better  we  are  able  to  appreciate  its  value.  Galton’s  excellent 
disposition  and  even  temper  had  enabled  us  to  struggle  through 
all  difficulties  very  happily  together  ; and  it  was,  therefore, 
with  sincere  regret  that  I paited  from  him.  I whispered  a 
prayer  for  his  safe  return  to  the  bosom  of  his  family.  It  was 
heard  ; for,  though  the  passage  proved  of  long  duration,  he 
reached  England  in  safety,  after  an  absence  of  two  years. 

Not  long  subsequently  to  his  return,  the  Royal  Geo- 
graphical Society,  I was  happy  to  learn,  bestowed  upon  him 
their  gold  medal,  as  a reward  for  his  services  in  the  cause  of 
science. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CAPTURE  OF  YOUNG  OSTRICHES NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  OSTRICH: 

WHERE  FOUND  ; DESCRIPTION  OF  ; SIZE  ; WEIGHT;  AGE  ; VOICE  ; STRENGTH  ; 
SPEED  ; FOOD  ; WATER  ; BREEDING  ; INCUBATION  ; CUNNING  ; STONES 

FOUND  IN  EGGS  ; CHICKS  ; FLESH BRAIN  IN  REQUEST  AMONGST  THE 

ROMANS EGGS  HIGHLY  PRIZED USES  OF  EGG-SHELLS FEATHERS  AN 

ARTICLE  OF  COMMERCE OSTRICH  PARASOLS THE  BIRD’S  DESTRUCTIVE 

PROPENSITIES HABITS RESEMBLES  QUADRUPEDS DOMESTICATION 

THE  CHASE SNAKES INGENIOUS  DEVICE ENEMIES  OF  THE  OSTRICH. 

Ostriches  are  at  all  times  more  or  less  numerous  on  the 
Naarip  Plain,  but  more  particularly  so  at  this  season,  on  account 
of  the  naras  (of  which  mention  was  made  in  the  second  chap- 
ter) being  now  ripe. 

Whilst  waiting  for  the  missionary  vessel,  previously  to  the 
departure  of  Mr.  Galton,  I made  several  trips  between  the  Bay 
and  Scheppmansdorf,  in  order  to  arrange  matters  for  my  intend- 
ed journey  to  the  Ngami.  On  one  of  these  occasions  I was 
accompanied  by  my  friend.  When  we  had  proceeded  little 
more  than  half  the  distance,  and  in  apart  of  the  plain  entirely 
destitute  of  vegetation,  we  discovered  a male  and  female  os- 
trich with  a brood  of  young  ones  about  the  size  of  ordinary  barn- 
door fowls.  This  was  a sight  we  had  long  been  looking  for,  as 
Galton  had  been  requested  by  Professor  Owen  to  procure  a few 
uraniums  of  the  young  of  this  bird,  in  order  to  settle  certain 
anatomical  questions.  Accordingly,  we  forthwith  dismounted 
from  our  oxen,  and  gave  chase,  which  proved  of  no  ordinary 
interest. 

The  moment  the  parent  birds  became  aware  of  our  intention, 
they  set  off  at  full  speed — the  female  leading  the  way,  the  young 


MANOEUVRES  OF  THE  OLD  BIRD. 


197 


following  in  her  wake,  and  the  cock,  though  at  some  little 
distance,  bringing  up  the  »ear  of  the  family-party.  It  was 
very  touching  to  observe  the  anxiety  the  old  birds  evinced  for 
the  safety  of  their  progeny.  Finding  that  we  were  quickly 
gaining  upon  them,  the  male  at  once  slackened  his  pace,  and 
diverged  somewhat  from  his  course  ; but,  seeing  that  we  were 
not  to  be  diverted  from  our  purpose,  he  again  increased  his 
speed,  and,  with  wings  drooping  so  as  almost  to  touch  the 
ground,  he  hovered  round  us,  now  in  wide  circles,  and  then  de- 
creasing the  circumference  till  he  came  almost  within  pistol-shot, 
when  he  abruptly  threw  himself  on  the  ground,  and  struggled 
desperately  to  regain  his  legs,  as  it  appeared,  like  a bird  that 
has  been  badly  wounded.  Having  previously  fired  at  him,  I 
really  thought  he  was  disabled,  and  made  quickly  towards  him. 
But  this  was  only  a ruse  on  his  part;  for,  on  my  nearer  ap- 
proach, he  slowly  rose  and  began  to  run  in  an  opposite  direction 
to  that  of  the  female,  who  by  this  time  was  considerably  a-head 
with  her  charge. 

After  about  an  hour’s  severe  chase,  we  secured  nine  of  the 
brood  ; and,  though  it  consisted  of  about  double  that  number, 
we  found  it  necessary  to  be  contented  with  what  we  had 
bagged.1 

On  returning  to  the  Bay,  however,  the  next  morning  m a 
mule-cart,  Mr.  Gallon  again  encountered  the  same  birds  with 
the  remainder  of  the  family  ; and,  after  a short  race,  captured 
six  more  of  the  chicks. 

The  ostrich  (which,  from  possessing  the  rudiments  of  a gall- 
bladder, and  the  absence  of  wings  fit  for  flight,  seems  to  form  a 
kind  of  a connecting  link  between  the  two  great  families  of 
mammalia  and  aves)  is  an  inhabitant  of  a large  portion  of  Africa, 
but  rarely  extends  further  east  than  the  deserts  of  Arabia. 
Throughout  the  Indian  Archipelago,  the  family  of  birds  (of 
which  the  ostrich  is  the  leading  type)  is  represented  by  the  cas- 
sowary; in  Australia,  by  the  emeu  ; in  the  southern  extremity 
ol  the  western  hemisphere,  by  the  rhea;  and  even  in  Europe, 
though  somewhat  departing  from  the  type,  it  has  its  representa- 
tive in  the  stately  bustard. 

Anything  like  a scientific  description  of  the  ostrich  would 
here  be  out  of  place  ; but  it  may  be  proper  to  mention  that  the 
lower  part  of  the  neck  and  the  body  of  the  mature  male  bird 
are  of  a deep  glossy  black,  intermingled  with  a few  whitish 

1 The  lithograph  facing  this  chapter  is  a faithful  representation  of  the  chase 
described,  which  took  place  shortly  before  sunset. 


198 


THE  OSTRIC  H S PEED. 


feathers,  only  visible  when  the  plumage  is  ruffled.  “In  the 
female,  the  general  color  of  the  feathers  is  of  a grayish,  or  ashy 
brown,  slightly  fringed  with  white.  In  both  sexes  the  large 
plumes  of  the  wings  and  tail  are  beautifully  white.” 

The  ostrich,  when  full  grown,  stands  no  less  than  from  seven 
to  eight  feet',  and  instances  are  recorded  where  individual  birds 
have  attained  as  much  as  nine.  Its  weight  is  proportionate. 
Judging  from  what  I have  experienced  in  carrying  the  dead 
body,  it  is  not  less,  perhaps,  than  two  or  three  hundred  pounds. 
Indeed,  there  are  persons  who  believe  that  the  mature  bird, 
when  in  prime  condition,  as  a butcher  would  say,  will  attain  a 
weight  of  thirty  stone. 

I could  never  obtain  any  data  that  would  enable  me  to  form 
a correct  estimate  of  the  age  of  the  ostrich  : but  it  may  fairly  be 
concluded  that  he  lives  between  twenty  and  thirty  years. 

The  cry  of  the  ostrich  so  greatly  resembles  that  of  a lion,  as 
occasionally  to  deceive  even  the  natives.  It  is  usually  heard 
early  in  the  morning,  and,  at  times,  also  at  night. 

The  strength  of  the  ostrich  is  enormous.  A single  blow  from 
its  gigantic  foot  (it  always  strikes  forward)  is  sufficient  to  pros- 
trate, nay  to  kill,  many  beasts  of  prey,  such  as  the  hyaena,  the  j 
panther,  the  wild  dog,  the  jackal,  and  others. 

The  ostrich  is  exceedingly  swift  of  foot;  under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances out-running  a fleet  horse : “What  time  she  lifteth 
up  herself  on  high,  she  scorneth  the  horse  and  its  rider.”  On 
special  occasions,  and  for  a,  short  distance,  its  speed  is  truly 
marvelous — perhaps  not  much  less  than  a mile  in  half  a minute 
Its  feet  appear  hardly  to  touch  the  ground,  and  the  length  be- 
tween each  stride  is  not  unfrequently  twelve  to  fourteen  feet. 
Indeed,  if  we  are  to  credit  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Adanson,  who  J, 
says  he  witnessed  the  fact  in  Senegal,  such  is  the  rapidity  and  j; 
muscular  power  of  the  ostrich,  that,  even  with  two  men  mount- 
ed on  his  back,  he  will  outstrip  an  English  horse  in  speed ! 
The  ostrich,  moreover,  is  long-winded,  if  1 may  use  the  expres- 
sion ; so  that  it  is  a work  of  time  to  exhaust  the  bird. 

The  food  of  the  ostrich,  in  its  wild  state,  consists  of  the  seeds, 
tops  and  buds  of  various  shrubs  and  other  plants.1  But  it  is 
often  difficult  to  conceive  how  it  can  manage  to  live  at  all,  for 
one  not  unfrequently  meets  with  it  in  regions  apparently  desti- 
tute of  vegetation  of  any  kind  : !; 

1 At  the  Zoological  Gardens,  Regent's  Park,  where  at  this  moment  several  of 
these  birds  are  alive,  the  ostrich  is  fed  on  a mixture  of  oats,  barley,  chaff,  and  cab- 
bage, of  which  the  respective  quantities  are  as  follow  : — oats,  one  pint ; barley,  j 
oae  pint ; chaff,  half  a gallon  ; and  cabbage,  four  pounds. 


THE  BREEDINfi  SEASON INCUBATION. 


199 


“ A region  of  emptiness,  howling  and  drear, 

Which  man  hath  abandoned  from  famine  and  fear  ; 

Which  the  ostrich  and  lizard  inhabit  alone, 

With  the  twilight  bat  from  the  old  hollow  stone ; 

Where  grass,  nor  herb,  nor  shrub  take  root, 

Save  poisonous  thorns  that  pierce  the  foot ; 

And  the  bitter  melon  for  food  and  drink, 

Is  the  pilgrim’s  fare  by  the  salt  lake’s  brink !” 

Although  the  ostrich  is  undoubtedly  capable  of  undergoing 
thirst  for  a considerable  period,  yet  water  appears  to  be  indis- 
pensable to  its  existence.  In  the  dry  and  hot  season,  I have 
often  observed  the  same  flock  drinking  almost  daily.  They 
swallow  the  water  by  a succession  of  gulps.  On  such  occasions 
— that  is,  when  approaching  a spring — they  seem  quite  stupe- 
fied. Whilst  staying  at  Elephant  Fountain,  where  in  a short 
time  I killed  eight  of  these  magnificent  birds,  they  made  their 
appearance  regularly  every  day  about  noon,  and  although  the 
locality  afforded  but  indifferent  shelter,  they  invariably  allowed 
me  to  get  within  range,  only  retreating  step  by  step. 

Like  the  capercali  of  Europe,  the  ostrich  has  a plurality  of 
wives — from  two  to  six,  it  is  said.  The  breeding  season  would 
seem  to  be  somewhat  undefined  ; for  I have  met  with  nests  in 
every  month  from  June  till  October.  Each  female  is  repre- 
sented as  laying  from  twelve  to  sixteen  eggs,  and  all  in  one  and 
the  same  nest,  which  is  simply  a cavity  scooped  out  in  the  sand. 

Both  male  and  female  assist  in  hatching  the  eggs,  which  are 
placed  upright,  in  order,  it  would  seem,  “ that  the  greatest  possi- 
ble number  may  be  stowed  within  the  space.”  When  about  a 
dozen  eggs  are  laid,  the  bird,  which  squats  astride  over  them, 
with  its  legs  pointed  forward,  begins  to  sit.  I have  observed 
that,  on  perceiving  a man,  instead  of  running  away  from  the 
nest,  it  not  unfrequently  lowers  its  conspicuous  neck  till  it  be- 
comes in  a line  with  the  ground,  evidently  in  the  hope  that  ic 
may  be  passed  unnoticed. 

During  the  period  of  incubation,  the  ostrich,  if  an  intruder 
approaches  its  nest,  resorts  to  various  artifices  to  induce  him  to 
withdraw  far  oft'. 

“One  morning,”  says  Professor  Thunberg,  “as  I rode  past  a 
place  where  a hen-ostrich  sat  on  her  nest,  the  bird  sprang  up 
and  pursued  me,  with  a view  to  prevent  my  noticing  her  young 
ones  or  her  eggs.  Every  time  I turned  my  horse  towards  her, 
she  retreated  ten  or  twelve  paces ; but  as  soon  as  I rode  on  she 
pursued  me  again.” 

The  period  of  incubation  seems  to  vary  ; but,  on  the  average, 


200 


STONES  FOUND  IN  EGGS THE  CHICKS. 


it  may  be  about  thirty-eight  clays.  One  or  more  of  the  females 
are  skicI  to  lay  meanwhile  ; but  the  supernumerary  eggs  are 
placed  outside  the  nest,  and  are  supposed  to  serve  as  nourish- 
ment for  the  callow  brood.  If  such  really  be  the  ca-se,  we,  in 


this  again,  see  a wonderful  provision  of  nature,  inasmuch  as  the 


chicken  would  be  unable  to  digest  the  indurated  matter  furnished 
by  their  too-often  sterile  haunts. 

The  notion  so  generally  entertained  of  the  ostrich  merely  de- 
positing her  eggs  in  the  sand,  and  leaving  them  to  be  vivified  by 
the  sun,  arises,  probably,  from  its  habit  of  occasionally  quitting 
the  nest  in  search  of  food,  more  especially  as  it  generally  does 
so  during  the  hottest  part  of  the  day. 

Some  travelers  affirm  that  the  ostrich  not  only  never  sits  on 


her 


eogs 


after  having  once  been  handled,  or  even  if  a man  should 


have  passed  near  the  nest,  but  that  she  actually  destroys  the 


m : 


I,  for  my  part,  cannot  speak  to  this  point,  having,  whenever  1 


found  an  ostrich’s  nest,  usually  plundered  it  at  once,  thus  leav- 
ing the  bird  no  opportunity  of  obeying  so  strange  an  instinct. 

It  seems  pretty  certain,  however,  that  the  ostrich,  as  with 
many  other  birds,  is  in  the  habit  of  deserting  her  eggs  if  they 


be  handled.  “The  slaves,”  says  Professor  Thunberg,  “ alway 


s 


use  the  precaution  not  to  take  away  the  eggs  with  their  hands 
(in  which  case  the  birds,  who  perceive  it  by  scent,  are  apt  to 
quit  the  spot),  but  by  means  of  a long  stick  they  rake  them  out 
of  the  nest  as  fast  as  the  birds  lay  them.” 

A peculiarity  in  regard  to  the  eggs  of  the  ostrich,  and,  so  far 
as  I am  aware,  confined  to  the  eggs  of  this  bird  alone,  is  men- 
tioned by  several  African  travelers.  For  example  : — “ The  farm- 
er here  likewise  informed  me,”  says  the  author  just  quoted, 
“ that  a stone  or  two  is  sometimes  found  in  the  ostrich’s  eggs, 
which  is  hard,  white,  rather  flat  and  smooth,  and  about  the  size 
of  a bean.  These  stones  are  cut  and  made  into  buttons,  but  I 
never  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  any  of  them.” 

Again:  “In  these  eggs,”  writes  Barrow,  “are  frequently 
discovered  a number  of  small  oval-shaped  pebbles,  about  the 
size  of  a marrow-fat  pea,  of  a pale  yellow  color,  and  exceed- 
ingly hard.  In  one  egg  we  found  nine,  and  in  another  twelve 
of  such  stones.” 

Notwithstanding  the  number  of  eggs  laid,  seldom  more  than 
thirty  to  thirty-five  are  hatched.  Almost  as  soon  as  the  chicks 
(which  are  about  the  size  of  pullets)  have  escaped  from  the 
shell,  they  are  able  to  walk  about  and  to  follow  the  mother,  on 
whom  they  are  dependent  for  a considerable  period.  And 
nature,  with  her  usual  care,  has  provided  the  young  with  a 


THE  FLESH EATEN  BY  THE  ROMANS. 


201 


color  and  a covering  admirably  suited  to  the  localities  they 
frequent.  The  color  is  a kind  of  pepper-and-salt,  harmonizing 
wonderfully  with  the  variegated  sand  and  gravel  of  the  plains, 
which  they  are  in  the  habit  of  traversing.  Indeed,  when 
crouching  under  my  very  eyes,  I have  had  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  discerning  the  chicks.  The  covering  is  neither  down  nor 
feathers,  but  a kind  of  “ prickly  external,”  which,  no  doubt, 
is  an  excellent  protection  against  injury  from  the  coarse  gravel 
and  the  stunted  vegetation  amongst  which  they  dwell. 

The  flesh  of  the  young  ostrich  is  not  unpalatable  ; but  that 
of  the  old  bird  is  anything  but  good.  To  my  notion,  it  tastes 
very  much  like  that  of  the  zebra.  According  to  the  Mosaic 
law,  the  ostrich  was  denounced  as  an  unclean  animal,  and  the 
Jews  were,  consequently,  forbidden  to  eat  it.  The  Arabs  of 
the  present  day  still  adhere  to  this  prohibition.  Some  of  the 
native  tribes  of  Southern  Africa,  however,  are  less  fastidious, 
and  partake  of  the  flesh  with  great  relish,  more  especially 
when  fat. 

Though  people  at  the  present  day  place  little  or  no  value  on 
the  ostrich  as  an  article  of  food,  the  ancient  Romans,  who  were 
great  epicures,  seem  to  have  been  of  a different  opinion.  We 
are  told  by  Vobiscus  that  the  pseudo  Emperor  Firrnus, 
“ equally  celebrated  for  his  feats  at  the  anvil  and  at  the 
trencher,  devoured,  in  his  own  imperial  person,  an  entire  ostrich 
at  one  sitting.”1  The  brain  of  this  bird  was  considered  a super- 
lative delicacy  ; and,  like  everything  else  with  that  luxurious 
nation,  it  was  provided  on  the  most  magnificent  scale.  Thus, 
according  to  an  ancient  testimony,  the  Emperor  Heliogabalus 
was  served  at  a single  feast  with  the  brains  of  six  hundred  of 
these  birds.2 

If  the  flesh  of  the  ostrich  be  not  much  esteemed,  its  eggs, 
at  all  events,  are  prized  in  the  highest  degree  by  natives  and 
travelers.  To  say  nothing  of  their  flavor,  each  contains  as 
much  as  twenty-four  of  the  eggs  of  the  barn-door  fowl,  and 
weighs  about  three  pounds. 

From  the  great  size  of  the  ostrich  egg,  it  might  be  supposed 
that  one  would  be  a sufficient  meal  for  any  man  ; but  I have 
known  instances  where  two  eggs  have  been  dispatched  by  a 

' Apicius  gives  a recipe  for  the  best  sauce. 

2 The  Romans,  as  is  well  known,  also  introduced  large  numbers  of  ostriches 
into  the  circus,  where  they  were  butchered  by  the  people^  We  are  told  that  no 
less  than  one  thousand  of  these  splendid  creatures  (together  with  an  equal  num- 
oer  of  the  stag,  the  fallow  deer,  and  the  boar  tribe)  were  on  one  occasion  brutally 
sacrificed  to  gratify  the  insatiable  thirst  for  blood  of  the  Roman  populace. 


202 


EGG-SHELL  S F EAIHEBS. 


single  individual',  even  when  mixed  with  a quantity  ot  flour  and 
fat.  Indeed,  Hans  and  his  companion  once  finished  five  ostrich 
eggs  in  the  course  of  an  afternoon  ! 

Even  the  egg-shell  is  of  considerable  value,  and  is  an  excellent 
vessel  for  holding  liquids  of  any  kind.  The  bushmen  have 
hardly  any  other.  By  covering  it  with  a light  net-wrork  it  may 
be  carried  slung  across  the  saddle.  Grass,  wood,  etc.,  serve  as 
substitutes  for  corks. 

By  the  monks  of  Dayr  Antonios,  we  are  informed  that  the 
Copts  (by  whom  the  eggs  are  looked  upon  as  the  emblem  of 
watchfulness,  and  who  suspend  them  in  their  churches),  pass  the 
cords  of  their  lamps  through  the  shell  in  order  to  prevent  the 
rats  from  coming  down  and  drinking  the  oil. 

The  shell  of  the  egg  is  used  medicinally.  The  Boers,  after 
reducing  it  to  powder,  and  mixing  it  with  vinegar,  give  it  to 
cattle  afflicted  with  stranguary,  for  which  disease  it  is  considered 
a sovereign  remedy.  The  powder  itself  is  said  to  be  an  excellent 
preservative  against  blindness. 

The  white  wing-feathers1  of  the  ostrich  (the  black  ones  are 
used  chiefly  for  mourning)  are  a considerable  article  of  commerce. 
The  market,  however,  is  very  fluctuating.  At  the  Cape,  the  price 
varies  fjom  one  or  two  guineas  sterling,  to  as  much  as  twelve, 
for  the  pound,  the  latter  sum,  however,  being  only  paid  for  very 
prime  feathers.  The  thinner  the  quill,  and  the  longer  and  more 
wavy  the  plume,  the  more  it  is  prized.2 3  Seventy  to  ninety 
feathers  go  to  the  pound.  But  although  half  this  number  may 
be  obtained  from  a single  bird,  only  a small  portion  are  of  any 
value.  In  the  pairing  season — and  it  may  be  at  other  times — 
the  ostrich,  like  the  turkey-cock,  the  capercali,  and  many  ottier 
birds,  is  in  the  habit  of  drooping  its  wings,  so  that  the  outer 
feathers  trail  on  the  ground,  which  soon  destroys  their  beauty. 
The  proper  time  to  kill  the  ostrich  for  its  plumes,  is  shortly 


1 The  plumes,  together  with  the  eggs,  of  the  ostrich,  are  said  to  have  been  held 

in  much  request  with  the  ancient  Egyptians.  Indeed,  they  formed  part  of  the 
tribute  imposed  on  those  of  the  conquered  nations  in  whose  country  the  bird 
abounded ; and  appear  to  have  been  used  for  ornaments  as  well  as  for  religious 
purposes.  “ The  ostrich  feather  was  a symbol  of  the  Goddess  of  Truth  and  J ustice. 
It  belonged  also  to  the  head-dress  of  Ao  ; was  adopted  by  Hermes  Trismegistus  ; 
and  worn  by  the  soldiery  and  the  priests  on  certain  religious  festivals.”  “ In  Turkey, 
the  Janizary  who  signalized  himself  in  arms  had  the  privilege  of  empluming  his 
turban  ; and  in  the  kingdom  of  Congo  the  feathers,  mixed  with  those  of  the  pea- 
cock, are  employed  as  the  ensigns  of  war  and  victory.” 

3 Such  feathers  as  have  been  plucked  from  the  wings  of  the  living  bird  are  ssdd 
to  be  preferable  to  those  obtained  from  the  dead  ostrich,  as  being  less  liable  tc 
the  attack  of  worms. 


HABITS  OF  THE  OSTRICH. 


203 


after  the  moulting  season,  or  in  the  months  of  March  and 
April. 

The  Damaras  and  the  Bechuanas  manufacture  handsome  para- 
sols from  the  black  feathers  of  the  ostrich,  which  serve  as  signs 
of  mourning,  or  are  useful  for  the  preservation  of  the  complex- 
ion. “It  is  a beautiful  sight,”  says  Harris,  “to  behold  a savage, 
whose  skin,  somewhat  coarser  than  the  hide  of  a rhinoceros, 
might  vie  in  point  of  color  with  a boot,  protecting  his  complex- 
ion by  the  interposition  of  such  an  umbrella.” 

Some  of  the  tribes  of  Southern  Africa  are  said  to  employ 
ostrich-parasols  whilst  hunting  wild  animals,  with  a similar 
purpose  to  that  of  a Spanish  bull-fighter  who  uses  a red  cloth. 
Thus,  in  case  of  a wounded  beast  charging  a man,  the  latter, 
just  at  the  moment  he  is  about  to  be  seized,  suddenly  thrusts 
the  supports  of  the  nodding  plumes  into  the  ground,  and,  while 
the  infuriated  animal  is  venting  its  rage  on  its  supposed  victim, 
the  native  slips  un perceived  on  one  side  and  transfixes  his 
antagonist. 

The  skin  of  the  ostrich  is  also  said  to  be  held  in  great  request, 
and  forms  no  inconsiderable  article  of  commerce.  “The  whole 
defensive  armor  of  the  Nasamones,  inhabitants  of  Lybia,  was 
manufactured  of  the  birds’  thick  skin,  which,  even  at  the  pre- 
sent day,  is  used  as  a cuirass  by  some  of  the  Arab  troops.” 

The  ostrich,  though  usually  dwelling  far  frqm  the  haunts  of 
men,  occasionally  approaches  the  homestead,  and,  at  such  times, 
causes  the  Boer  considerable  damage  by  trampling  down  and 
eating  the  grain. 

The  opinion  of  authors  and  sportsmen,  with  regard  to  the 
ostrich,  vary  considerably.  Some  ascribe  to  it  great  stupidity, 
whilst  others  consider  it  as  possessed  of  vivacity  and  much 
intelligence.  Without  passing  a judgment,  I will  only  mention, 
that  I have  seen  it  exhibit  these  opposite  qualities  in  no  small 
degree. 

In  a domesticated  state,  it  is  true,  the  ostrich  appears  to  be  a 
quiet,  dull,  and  heavy-looking  bird  ; but  when  seen  in  its  native 
haunts,  it  is  restless,  wary,  and  difficult  of  approach.  From  its 
great  stature,  and  the  prominent  position  of  its  eyes,  its  range 
of  vision  is  naturally  considerable,  which  enables  it  to  discover 
danger  at  a considerable  distance.  This,  together  with  the  ex- 
posed localities  frequented  by  it,  probably  accounts  for  the 
comparatively  few  that  even  the  mightiest  Nimrods  of  South 
Africa  can  boast  of  having  killed. 

What  may  be  the  case  with  the*  ostrich,  in  a wild  state,  is 
hard  to  say ; but,  when  in  confinement,  no  bird  or  other  animal 


204 


A STRANGER  TO  DYSPEPSIA. 


■ 


demonstrates  so  little  discrimination  in  the  choice  of  its  food, 
for  it  then  swallows  with  avidity  stones,  pieces  of  wood  and  iron, 
spoons,  knives,  and  a variety  of  other  indigestible  matters. 
This  strange  propensity  and  apparent  obtuseness  of  taste, 
obtained  for  the  bird,  at  an  early  period,  the  epithet  of  “ the  iron- 
eating ostrich.” 

“ The  estridge  that  will  eate 
An  horshowe  so  great 
In  the  steade  of'  meat ; 

Such  fervent  heat 
His  stomach  doth  freat.”1 

Many  amusing  anecdotes  are  told  of  the  strange  habits  of  this 
bird.  Once — so  runs  the  story — when  the  ostrich  was  still  a 
rare  sight  in  Europe,  a woman,  on  hearing  of  the  arrival  of  a 
batch  of  these  birds,  and  being  anxious  to  obtain  a sight  of 
them,  hastily  shut  up  her  house,  taking  the  key  of  the  door  in 
her  hand.  No  sooner,  however,  had  she  arrived  on  the  spot 
where  the  birds  were  kept,  than  one  of  them  stalked  gravely  up 
to  the  lady,  and,  snatching  the  iron  instrument  out  other  hand, 
deliberately,  and  to  her  great  horror,  swallowed  it — actually 
shutting  her  out,  of  her  own  house  I 

‘•Nothing,”  says  Methuen,  in  his  “Life  in  the  Wilderness,” 
when  speaking  of  a female  ostrich  that  came  under  his  immediate 
notice,  “ disturbed  the  ostrich’s  digestion  : dyspepsia  was  a thing 
‘ undreamt  of  in  its  philosophy.’  One  day,  a muscovy  duck 
brought  a promising  brood  of  ducklings  into  the  world,  and 
with  maternal  pride  conducted  them  forth  into  the  yard.  Up,  , 
with  solemn  and  measured  stride,  walked  the  ostrich,  and, 
wearing  the  most  mild,  benignant  cast  of  face,  swallowed  them 
all,  one  after  the  other,  like  so  rhany  oysters,  regarding  the 
indignant  hissings  and  bristling  plumage  of  the  hapless  mother 
with  stoical  indifference.” 

The  ostrich  is  gregarious,  and  is  met  with  in  troops  varying 
from  a few  individuals  to  as  many  as  fifty.  Singularly  enough, 
it  is  never  known  to  associate  with  other  birds;  but,  preferring 
quadrupeds,  is  often  found  in  company  with  the  zebra,  the 
springbok,  the  gnoo,  etc.  Indeed,  in  many  respects,  it  bears  a 
striking  resemblance  to  four-footed  animals  ; such  as  in  its  strong, 
jointed  legs  and  cloven  hoofs;  its  long,  muscular  neck;  its  grulf 
voice;  the  absence  of  the  elevated  central  ridge  of  the  breast 
bone,  so  generaly  characteristic  of  birds ; besides  other  simi- 
larities already  mentioned.  But,  perhaps,  when  compared  with 


‘•‘Tlie  Poke  of  Phillip  Sparrow.” 


ITS  RESEMBLANCE  TO  QUADRUPEDS. 


20o 


the  camel,  the  affinity  becomes  still  more  striking.  Both  ara 
‘'furnished  with  callous  protuberances  on  the  chest  and  on  the 
abdomen,  on  which  they  support  themselves  when  at  rest;  and 
they  both  lie  down  in  the  same  manner.”  In  both  the  feet  and 
stomach  are  somewhat  similarly  constructed  ; and  if  we  add  to 
this,  their  capabilities  of  subsisting  on  a scanty  and  stunted  vege- 
tation, their  endurance  of  thirst,  and  their  formation  in  general, 
which  enables  ostrich  and  camel  to  inhabit  and  traverse  arid  and 
desert  regions,  the  resemblance  is  by  no  means  so  imaginary  as 
one  might  at  first  suppose.  Indeed,  to  many  of  the  nations  of 
the  East,1  as  well  as  to  the  Romans  and  the  Greeks,  the  ostrich 
was  known  by  the  name  of  the  camel-bird. 

The  ostrich  is  easily  domesticated,  but  is  sometimes  of  a 
vicious  disposition.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Hahn,  if  I remember  rightly, 
told  me  that  some  of  these  birds,  which  he  kept  in  confinement 
for  a considerable  period,  became  so  mischievous,  that,  lest  they 
might  injure  any  of  the  people  on  the  station,  he  was  obliged 
to  kill  them. 

Several  persons  have  tried  to  breed  from  the  tame  ostrich  ; 
but,  to  the  best  of  my  belief,  all  attempts  have  hitherto  proved 
abortive.  Eggs,  however,  have  been  frequently  obtained  ; but 
the  birds  never  showed  any  inclination  to  sit  upon  them.  At 
the  Regent’s  Park  Gardens,  moreover,  repeated  trials  have  been 
made  to  hatch  the  eggs  by  artificial  means,  but  without  suc- 
cess. 

The  expedients  resorted  to  in  South  Africa,  to  capture  the 
ostrich,  are  various.  Not  uhfrequently  it  is  ridden  down  by 
men  on  horseback.  Several  hunters  take  different  sides  of  a 
large  plain,  thus  hemming  the  bird  in,  and  chasing  it  backwards 
and  forwards  until  its  strength  is  exhausted.  . 

The  ostrich  is  also  at  times  ridden  down  by  a siugle  horse- 
man. Under  ordinary  circumstances,  fleet  as  the  horse  may  be, 
this  would  be  impossible.  Towards  the  approach  of  the  rainy 
season,  however,  when  the  days  are  intolerably  hot  and  oppress- 
ive, the  giant  bird  may  be  seen  standing  motionless  on  the  plain, 
with  wings  spread,  and  beak  wide  open  ; and  at  such  times  the 
capture  may  be  accomplished.  Indeed,  cases  have  come  under 
my  notice  where  Namaquas,  after  a short  and  spirited  chase, 
have  brought  the  ostrich  to  a dead  stand-still. ' A blow  on  the 
head  with  a stick  or  a “ shambok”  is  then  sufficient  to  dispatch 

1 Among  the  people  of  Persia  and  Arabia,  the  vulgar  belief  is  said  to  exist  “ that 
the  shutur-moorg  (the  camel-bird)  is  produced  by  the  union  of  a camel  with  a 

bird 


206 


THE  CHASE  ON  HORSEBACK. 


it.  On  similar  occasions,  however,  horses  nave  been  known  tc  ' 
drop  down  dead  from  over-exertion. 

When  an  ostrich  finds  himself  observed,  he  will  often  make  for 
some  given  point- — more  especially  if  he  be  hemmed  in  near  a 
plain.  He  is  so  fully  aware  that  safety  is  only  to  be  found  in 
the  open  country,  that  he  always  endeavors  to  gain  it.  Should 
the  sportsman  understand  his  business,  he  may  easily  cut  him 
off;  but  it  requires  a keen  eye  and  a practiced  hand  to  bring  the 
bird  down  ; for,  on  emergencies  like  these,  its  speed,  as  before 
said,  is  truly  wonderful. 

The  Arabs  of  North  Africa  are  also  accustomed  to  pursue  the 
ostrich  on  horseback  ; but,  instead  of  trying  to  overtake  the  bird 
at  once,  it  is  steadily  followed — even  for  days — without  putting 
it  to  its  speed,  until  it  becomes  gradually  exhausted,  when  it 
falls  an  easy  prey  to  the  persevering  hunter.1 

In  parts  of  Southern  Africa,  the  ostrich  is  run  down  even  on 
foot.  I,  myself,  have  seen  the  bushmen  accomplish  this  ex- 
ploit on  the  shores  of  Lake  Ngami.  They  usually  surround  a j 
whole  troop,  and,  with  shouts  and  yells,  chase  the  terrified  birds 
into  the  water,  where  they  are,  of  course,  speedily  killed.  We 
more  than  once,”  says  Harris,  “fell  in  with  a large  party  of 
Corannas  engaged  in  an  attempt  to  tire  out  an  ostrich  on  foot,  a 
feat  which  they  are  said  sometimes  to  achieve,  knocking  him  off 
his  legs  by  squaling  with  a club  of  rhinoceros  horn,  fashioned 
like  a hockey  stick.” 

The  bushman,  however,  frequently  has  recourse  to  a much 
simpler  plan  of  circumventing  the  ostrich.  Having  found  its 
nest,  he  removes  the  eggs  to  a place  of  safety,  and,  ensconcing 
himself  in  the  empty  cavity,  awaits  the  return  of  the  bird, 
which  he  generally  manages  to  dispatch  with  a poisoned 
arrow. 

At  other  times,  the  natives  lie  in  wait  near  pools  frequented 
by  ostriches,  and  shoot  them  when  they  come  there  to  quench 
their  thirst.  If  the  gun  be  loaded  with  swan-shot  instead  of 
ball,  and  one  aims  at  the  necks,  several  may  be  killed  at  a sin- 
gle discharge  ; but  this  plan  will,  of  course,  never  be  adopted  by 
the  true  sportsman. 

Ostriches  are  also  not  unfrequently  captured  in  snares  (simi- 

1 “When  slain,  the  throat  is  opened  ; and  a .ligature  being  passed  below  the  in- 
cision, several  of  the  hunters  raise  the  bird  by  the  head  and  feet,  and  shake  and 
drag  him  about  until  they  obtain  from  the  aperture  nearly  twenty  pounds  of  a 
substance  of  mingled  blood  and  fat,  of  the  consistence  of  coagulated  oil,  which, 
under  the  denomination  of  manteque,  is  employed  in  the  preparation  of  dishes  and 
the  cure  of  various  maladies.” — Harris’s  Wild  Sports. 


ENEMIES  OF  THE  OSTRICH. 


207 


lar  to  those  made  use  of  for  entangling  smaller  species  of  ante- 
lopes), but  I have  quite  forgotten  whether  by  the  neck  or  the  leg. 
A long  cord,  having  at  one  end  a noose,  is  tied  to  a sapling 
which  is  bent  down,  and  the  noose  pinned  to  the  ground  in  such 
a manner  that  when  a bird  treads  within  it,  the  sapling  springs 
back  by  its  own  natural  elasticity,  suspending  the  bird  or  other 
animal  in  the  air;  and  it  is  only  released  from  its  suffering  by 
death.  Strabo  and  Oppian  make  mention  of  snares  being  em- 
ployed by  the  ancients  for  the  capture  of  ostriches  ; either  alluring 
them  by  stratagem  into  the  toils,  or  driving  them  en  masse,  by 
a brisk  pursuit  with  horses  and  dogs. 

But  the  most  ingenious  plan  of  beguiling  the  ostrich  to  its 
destruction,  is  that  described  by  Mr.  Moffat  and  others,  as 
practiced  among  the  bushmen.  The  reverend  gentleman 
say:— 

“As  kind  of  flat  double  cushion  is  stuffed  with  straw,  and 
formed  something  like  a saddle.  All  except  the  under  part  of 
this,  is  covered  over  with  feathers  attached  to  small  pegs,  and 
made  so  as  to  resemble  the  bird.  The  head  and  neck  of  an  os- 
trich are  stuffed,  and  a small  rod  introduced.  The  bushman  in- 
tending to  attack  game,  whitens  his  legs  with  any  substance  he 
can  procure.  He  places  the  feathered  saddle  on  his  shoulders, 
takes  the  bottom  part  of  the  neck  in  his  right  hand,  and  his  bow 
and  poisoned  arrows  in  his  left.  Such  as  the  writer  has  seen 
were  most  perfect  mimics  of  the  ostrich,  and  at  a few  hundred 
yards’  distance  it  is  not  possible  for  the  eye  to  detect  the  fraud. 
This  human  bird  appears  to  pick  away  at  the  verdure,  turning 
the  head  as  if  keeping  a sharp  look-out,  shakes  his  feathers,  now 
walks,  and  then  trots  till  he  gets  within  bow-shot;  and  when 
the  flock  runs,  from  one  receiving  an  arrow,  he  runs  too.  The 
male  ostriches  will,  on  some  occasions,  give  chase  to  the  strange 
bird,  when  he  tries  to  elude  them,  in  a way  to  prevent  them 
catching  his  scent;  for  when  once  they  do,  the  spell  is  broken. 
Should  one  happen  to  get  too  near  in  pursuit,  he  has  only  to 
run  to  windward,  or  throw  off  his  saddle,  to  avoid  a stroke  from 
a wing,  which  would  lay  him  prostrate.” 

But  the  ostrich  has  other  enemies  besides  man.  Beasts  as 
well  as  birds  are  said  to  seek  and  devour  their  eggs  with  great 
avidity.  According  to  Sir  James  Alexander  (given  on  the  au- 
thority of  the  natives  about  the  Orange  River),  when  the  birds 
have  left  their  nests  in  the  middle  of  the  day  in  search  of  food, 
“a  white  Egyptian  vulture  may  be  seen  soaring  in  mid  air, 
with  a stone  between  his  talons.  Having  carefully  surveyed 
the  ground  below  him,  he  suddenly  lets  fall  the  stone,  and  then 


208 


ENEMIES  OF  THE  OSTRICH. 


follows  it  in  rapid  descent.  Let  the  hunter  run  to  the  spot, 
and  he  will  find  a nest  of  probably  a score  of  eggs,  some  of  l;i 
them  broken  by  the  vulture.” 

Again,  “the  jackal  is  said  to  roll  the  eggs  together  to  break 
them  ; whilst  the  hyaena  pushes  them  off  with  its  nose  to  break  j 
them  at  a distance.” 

Nothing  of  this  kind  ever  came  under  my  notice  ; though,  on 
the  other  hand,  I have  not  unfrequently  found  the  bird  itself 
destroyed  by  lions,  panthers,  wild  dogs,  and  other  beasts. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


% 

SUDDEN  FLOODS JOHN  ALLEN’S  SUFFERINGS HANS  AND  THE  AUTHOR 

ENTER  INTO  PARTNERSHIP YOUNG  GRASS  INJURIOUS  TO  CATTLE DE- 
PART FROM  WALFISCH  BAY ATTRACTIVE  SCENERY TROOP  OF  LIONS 

EXTRAORDINARY  PROCEEDINGS  OF  KITES FLIGHT  OF  BUTTERFLIES AT- 

TACHMENT OF  ANIMALS  TO  ONE  ANOTHER — -ARRIVAL  AT  RICHTERFELDT  ; 

AT  BARMEN HANS’  NARROW  ESCAPE -SELF-POSSESSION HEAVY  RAINS 

RUNAWAY  OX  ; HE  TOSSES  THE  AUTHOR DEPART  FROM  BARMEN 

DIFFICULTY  OF  CROSSING  RIVERS ENCOUNTER  GREAT  NUMBERS  OF 

ORYXES. 

We  were  now  in  the  depth  of  the  rainy  season.  Rain,  as 
already  said,  rarely  falls  in  the  neighborhood  of  Walfisch  Bay; 
hut  the  gathering  of  heavy  clouds  in  the  eastern  horizon  every 
afternoon,  and  vivid  flashes  of  lightning  accompanied  by  dis- 
tant thunder,  clearly  indicated  that  the  interior  of  the 
country  had  been  flooded.  We  had  soon  a proof  of  this  in  the 
sudden  appearance  of  the  long-dormant  Ivuisip  river — which, 
now  swollen  to  an  unusual  height,  overflowed  its  banks,  and 
threatened  destruction  to  everything  that  opposed  its  course. 

This  overflow  was  equally  great  in  the  Swakop,  in  the  lower 
course  of  which  our  cattle  were  stationed  under  the  charge  of 
John  Allen.  One  fine  morning,  and  without  the  least  previous 
notice,  down  came  the  torrent,  and  cut  him  off  from  the  greater 
number  of  the  animals,  which  were  grazing  on  the  opposite 
bank.  He  was  an  expert  swimmer,  however;  and,  boldly 
plunging  into  the  swollen  stream,  with  difficulty  and  danger, 
succeeded  in  crossing.  But  no  sooner  had  he  gained  the  bank, 
than  the  river  rushed  forward  with  tenfold  velocity,  and  effectu- 
ally separated  him  from  the  camp.  Two  days  and  a night 
H 


•210 


PARTNERSHIP  WITH  HANS. 


elapsed  before  the  water  had  sufficiently  subsided  to  enable  him 
to  return.  The  sufferings  of  the  poor  lad,  meanwhile,  must 
have  been  very  trying  ; for  he  was  in  a state  of  complete  nudity; 
and,  though  he  had  abundance  of  fuel,  he  had  no  means  of 
lighting  a lire.  Lions  and  hyaenas,  moreover,  were  numerous  ; 
and,  to  add  to  his  misery,  the  oxen  strayed  during  the  night  in 
different  directions.  In  re-collecting  them,  the  following  day, 
he  had  to  cross  the  most  rugged  and  jagged  rocks  and  precipices 
and  scorching  fields  of  sands,  which  severely  lacerated  and  blis- 
tered his  unprotected  feet.  Most  men,  I venture  to  say,  under 
such  circumstances,  would  have  left  the  cattle  to  their  fate. 

As  soon  as  the  swollen  Kuisip  had  sufficiently  subsided,  and 
the  emaciated  state  of  the  oxen  permitted,  I returned  from  the 
Bay  to  Scheppmansdorf.  Iians  had  not  been  idle  during  my 
absence.  He  had  put  the  wagon  in  complete  order,  having  re- 
placed the  axle-tree  (which  in  our  journey  from  Barmen  had 
received  a serious  fracture)  with  a new  one,  and  shortened  the. 
tires  of  the  wheels.  He  had  also  made  a new  covering  for  the 
vehicle.  I,  too,  had  made  considerable  progress  with  regard  to 
the  arrangements  and  preparations  for  my  intended  journey. 
However,  on  taking  a more  close  survey  of  my  little  property, 

I found  that,  notwithstanding  Mr.  Gfalton  had  furnished  me 
with  a variety  of  things,  I was  very  deficient  in  the  most  im- 
portant— such  as  articles  for  barter,  presents  for  chiefs,  instru- 
ments for  taking  observations,  provisions,  etc.  As  none  of  these 
were  procurable  by  purchase  from  the  vessels  then  in  Walfisch 
Bay,  I was  placed  in  an  awkward  position.  To  proceed  without 
ample  supplies  of  all  kinds  was  not  advisable;  nor  did  I much 
relish  the  idea  of  returning  to  the  Cape — the  nearest  point  for  a 
■refit — since  this  could  only  be  accomplished  by  an  overland  jour- 
ney of  many  months’  duration,  and  the  consequent  loss  of  an  en- 
tire season.  Yet,  after  duly  weighing  the  matter,  I determined, 
though  with  no  small  regret,  to  adopt  the  latter  course. 

I now  entered  into  partnership  with  Hans,  who,  on  his  side 
threw  into  the  general  stock,  goods,  etc.,  to  the  amount  of 
' about  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  sterling. 

It  was  agreed  between  us  that  we  should  barter  our  wagons.  5 
as  also  every  article  we  could  possibly  dispense  with,  for  cattle, 
with  which  we  should  proceed  to  the  Cape  colony,  where  we 
understood  live-stock  always  commanded  a ready  market.  j 
When  we  should  have  turned  the  cattle  into  cash,  and  provided 
ourselves  with  everything  needful,  we  purposed  forthwith  re- 
turning to  Walfisch  Bay  ; I,  with  a view  of  penetrating  to  the 
Lake  Ngami,  whilst  Hails,  in  my  absence,  was  to  trade  with  the 


ATTRACTIVE  SCENERY. 


211 


natives.  Should  he  be  successful,  my  share  of  the  profits  would 
materially  aid  me  in  following  up  my  geographical  explorations, 
which  I was  aware  would  be  attended  with  considerable  ex- 
pense. 

Though  our  stay  at  Scheppmansdorf  and  Walfisch  Bay  had 
been  of  some  duration,  it  was  not  sufficiently  long  to  enable  the 
oxen  to  recover  their  strength.  They  had  not  suffered  actual 
want;  but  the  change  of  pasturage,  more  especially  as  the  grass 
was  then  young  and  green,  instead  of  benefiting  them,  had 
rather  tended  to  deteriorate  their  condition.  Indeed,  more  than 
half  of  our  best  draught-oxen  died. 

The  country  being  at  length  in  tolerable  order  for  traveling, 
we  once  more,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  of  January,  took 
our  departure  from  Scheppmansdorf,  keeping  the  same  course 
as  on  previous  occasions.  Besides  myself  and  Hans,  our  party 
consisted  of  John  Allen,  John  St.  Helena,  Phillipus,  Onesi- 
mus,  and  a few  Damaras. 

The  effect  of  the  late  rains  began  soon  to  show  itself ; for 
even  the  barren  Naarip  was,  in  places,  richly  carpeted  with 
grass  and  flowers  ; and,  at  every  step,  the  vegetation  became 
more  luxuriant.  As  evening,  with  its  lengthened  shadows, 
began  to  close  upon  us,  the  air  was  filled  with  balmy  and  aro- 
matic scents.  One  little  flower,  of  a milk-white  color,  was  par- 
ticularly sweet  and  attractive.  I could  scarcely  realize  the 
wonderful  change  in  the  landscape,  where,  less  than  a month 
previously,  I might  have  exclaimed : 

Still  the  same  burning  sun  ! no  cloud  in  heaven  ! 

The  hot  air  quivers  ; and  the  sultry  mist 
Floats  o'er  the  desert  witn  a show 
Of  distant  waters.” 

The  presence  of  herds  of  the  beautiful  oryx,  the  lively  quagga, 
and  the  grotesque  gnoo,  which  looked  like 

“ Beasts  of  mixed  and  monstrous  birth, 

Creations  of  some  fabled  earth,” 

served  further  to  enhance  the  interest  of  the  scene. 

These  were  glorious  times  for  the  lions,  who  were  exceed- 
ingly numerous.  On  passing  Tineas  and  Onanis — both  famous 
strong-holds  for  this  animal — we  started  troops  of  them  amongst 
the  broken  ground;  but  they  invariably  ran  away,  and  all  my 
efforts  to  get  a shot  at  them  were  unavailing. 

One  day,  while  refreshing  ourselves  and  cattle  in  the  midst 


212 


FLIGHTS  OF  KITES  AND  BUTTERFLIES. 


of  a scene  like  that  just  described,  the  men  being  busy  cutting 
up,  or  “ dressing,”  as  butchers  would  say,  two  fine  oryxes,  the 
produce  of  the  morning  hunt,  we  were  suddenly  surrounded  by 
a cloud  of  kites.  The  actions  of  these  birds  were  most  strange.  ' 
Hovering  within  a few  feet  of  our  heads,  they  eyed  us  steadily 
for  awhile,  and  then  took  themselves  off,  as  if  satisfied.  Another 
batch  would  now  approach  so  near,  that  in  order  to  avoid  com- 
ing in  contact  with  us,  they  threw  themselves  on  their  backs, 
spreading  out  their  wings  and  talons,  and  opening  their  beaks; 
whilst  one  or  two  actually,  with  a swoop,  snatched  the  food  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  natives.  It  was  only  after  having  brought  j 
down  several  with  the  rifle  that  the  rest  thought  best  to  keep 
at  a more  respectful  distance.1 

This  day,  and  during  the  whole  of  the  following,  we  encoun- 
tered myriads  of  lemon-colored  butterflies.  Their  numbers  f 
were  so  great  that  the  sound  caused  by  their  wings  resembled 
the  distant  murmuring  of  waves  on  the  sea-shore.  They 
always  passed  in  the  same  direction  as  the  wind  blew,  and,  as 
numbers  were  constantly  alighting  on  the  flowers,  their  appear- 
ance at  such  times  was  not  unlike  the  falling  of  leaves  before 
a gentle  autumnal  breeze. 

Every  day,  at  the  halting  place,  we  were  in  the  habit  of  train- 
ing some  oxen  to  the  “ pack”  or  the  saddle.  One  of  the  ani- 
mals particularly  captivated  my  fancy,  and  I was  desirous  of 
having  him  well  broken-in.  After  a little  time,  however,  I 
learnt  that  no  person  dared  any  longer  to  approach  the  beast. 
On  inquiring  the  cause,  I found  that  a large  ox  had  taken  it 
under  his  protection,  so  to  speak,  and  would  allow  no  one  to 
go  near  it.  Whenever  the  servants  attempted  to  catch  the 
protege,  his  protector  would  rush  at  them  furiously  ; and  iny 
favorite  was  so  well  aware  of  this,  that  so  soon  as  he  saw  any 
one  approaching,  he  would  run  directly  to  his  “ father,”  as  the 
natives  not  inaptly  styled  the  big  ox.  After  having  personally 
convinced  myself  of  this  singular  attachment,  and  dreading  that 
some  serious  mischief  might  ensue,  I deemed  it  prudent  to  kill 
my  poor  pet.  For  many  days,  the  “ father”  appeared  inconsol- 
able at  his  loss.  Running  wildly  about  the  herd,  and  smelling 
first  at  one  and  then  at  the  other,  he  would  moan  and  bellow 
most  piteously.  This  is  another  proof  of  the  strong  attachment 
of  which  the  lower  animals  are  capable.  I may  add  that  I have 

1 Several  well-known  Australian  explorers  make  mention  of  similar  occurrences 
with  this  identical  bird.  I have  also  heard  that  in  India  it  is  no  unusual  thing  to 
see  hawks  snatch  the  food  from  a person  as  he  travels  along. 


AIUtlVAl  AT  BARMEN. 


213 


frequently  seen  a sheep,  when  the  butcher  has  been  in  the  act 
of  killing  its  comrade,  run  up  to  the  man,  and  butt  at  him  most 
viciously. 

On  the  5th  of  February,  we  found  ourselves  again  at  Rich- 
terfeldt.  Mrs.  Rath,  I was  sorry  to  find,  was  suffering  griev- 
ously from  eye-sickness  ; so  much  so,  that  she  was  unable  to 
bear  the  least  light.  Indeed,  not  long  after,  the  sight  of  one  of 
her  eyes  was  permanently  injured,  if  not  destroyed. 

Here  I and  Hans  separated.  Whilst  he  went  into  Damara- 
and  to  trade  with  the  natives,  I,  myself,  proceeded  along  the 
Swakop  with  the  wagon.  We  had  only  one,  the  other  having 
already  been  disposed  of  at  Eikhams.  The  river  was  still  run- 
ning breast-high,  and  we  experienced  much  difficulty  in  cross- 
ing and  recrossing  it.  One  evening,  just  as  we  were  descend- 
ing the  bank,  from  which  the  flood  had  only  lately  receded, 
the  vehicle  suddenly  sank  so  deep  in  the  mud  as  almost  to  hide 
the  fore-wheels.  Before  we  could  extricate  ourselves — which 
was  a work  of  many  hours — we  were  obliged  to  dig  a deep 
trench,  and  pave  it  with  stones. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  11th  of  February,  I reached  Barmen, 
where  on  the  following  day  I was  joined  by  Hans.  He  had  not 
been  very  successful,  and,  moreover,  nearly  got  into  a scrape 
with  the  natives.  Having  one  day  gone  some  distance  in 
advance  of  his  small  party,  he  suddenly,  at  the  turn  of  a hill,, 
came  upon  some  women  and  children,  who,  notwithstanding 
his  friendly  assurances,  ran  off  in  great  fright  to  the  went, 
which  was  not  far  distant,  screaming  vociferously.  The  men. 
thinking  that  they  were  about  to  be  attacked  by  the  Namaquas, 
instantly  rushed  to  arms  ; and  Hans,  on  coming  in  view  of  the 
village,  unexpectedly  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  several 
hundred  Damaras,  each  armed  with  a huge  assegai.  Placing 
his  gun  against  a tree,  he  walked  quietly  into  the  midst  of 
them.  His  coolness  so  surprised  and  amazed  them,  that  the 
forest  of'  bristling  spears,  poised  in  the  air  ready  to  strike,  were 
instantaneously  lowered.  The  men,  however,  continued  their 
yells  and  shouts  for  some  time,  and  it  was  not  until  his  inter- 
preter had  arrived,  that  he  was  able  to  set  their  minds  at  rest  as 
to  his  peaceable  intentions. 

The  effect  often  produced  on  savages,  by  the  self-possession 
of  a single  European,  is  truly  wonderful.  If  Hans  had  evinced 
the  smallest  sign  of  fear  or  hesitation,  his  fate  probably  would 
have  been  sealed. 

I remember,  not  long  after  this  took  place,  to  have  been 
journeying  with  fifty  or  sixty  Damaras,  accompanied  only  by 


214 


SEJjF-POSSESSIO  n— r u n a w a y ox. 


my  native  interpreter,  when  the  chief  of  the  party,  next  to 
whom  I was -walking,  turned  sharply  round  and  abruptly 
accosted  me  in  the  following  manner:  “How  is  it  that  you 
venture  to  go  thus  alone  amongst  us?  we  might  easily  kill  you 
at  any  time.”  Without  a moment’s  hesitation,  I replied,  “I 
neither  fear  you  nor  any  other  people,  and  simply  because  I 
never  injured  you.  You,  on  the  other  hand,  are  perpetually 
robbing  and  killing  your  neighbors  ; and,  consequently,  you  have 
to  dread  the  revenge  of  their  friends  and  relations.  Besides,”  I 
jokingly  added,  “ it  is  not  quite  so  easy  as  you  may  imagine  to 
pull  ‘ three  hairs  out  of  a lion’s  tail.’  ” This  was  exactly  hitting 
the  nail  on  the  head — for,  if  they  had  previously  thought  my 
argument  good,  they  were  now  amazingly  pleased  with  the  jest. 

We  were  delayed  some  little  time  at  Barmen,  in  consequence 
of  heavy  rains  that  now  almost  daily  deluged  the  country,  it  was 
during  "this  stay  that  the  remarkable  thunder-storm  occurred — 
mentioned  in  a preceding  chapter — which  caused  such  havoc 
among  the  native  gardens. 

One  day,  whilst  endeavoring  to  secure  properly  a young  ox, 
he  broke  loose;  arid,  though  almost  the  whole  village  turned 
out  to  assist  us,  we  were  unable  to  recapture  the  animal. 
When  an  ox  thus  made  off,  we  usually  caused  three  or  four  of 
the  steadiest  of  his  comrades  to  be  driven  after  him,  or  we  put 
some  good  runners  on  his  track.  By  the  cattle  or  the  men 
keeping  up  a steady  pace,  they  would  soon  exhaust  the  refrac- 
tory animal,  and  quietly  bring  him  back  to  the  camp.  In  this 
instance,  Karnarute,  perhaps  the  fleetest  man  in  Damara-land, 
was  sent  in  pursuit. 

Whilst  abiding  his  return,  I indulged  in  a warm  bath,  and 
just  as  I had  finished  my  ablutions,  I observed  him  coming  back 
with  the  runaway.  As  the  animal,  however,  was  not  proceed- 
ing in  exactly  the  required  direction,  I placed  myself  in  his 
path,  for  the  purpose  of  turning  him.  But  as  he  heeded  not  mv 
presence,  and  kept  his  own  course,  the  result  was  that  he 
caught  me  with  his  horns  near  the  ribs,  and  pitched  me  bodily 
over  his  back  ! With  the  exception  of  being  a good  deal  shaken, 
however,  1 singularly  enough  escaped  unhurt.  But  one  of  our 
native  servants  was  less  fortunate;  for  on  trying,  like  myself,  to 
stay  the  ox  in  his  headlong  career,  the  poor  fellow  was  thrown 
to  the  ground  by  the  exasperated  brute,  who  actually  knelt  on 
his  body,  and  in  all  probability  would  have  killed  him,  had  not 
the  rest  of  the  people  come  to  his  assistance.  This  accident 
taught  us  to  be  more  careful  in  our  future  proceedings  with  arv 
over-driven  ox. 


DEPART  FROM  BARMEN. 


215 


On  leaving  Barmen,  we  were  obliged  to  make  a considerable 
detour  i-n  order  to  avoid  the  “ Great”  Swakop,  which  continued 
to  send  down  immense  torrents  of  discolored  water.  In  cross- 
ing one  of  its  branches,  known  as  the  “ Little”  Swakop,  our 
cattle  were  more  than  once  swept  away  by  the  violence  of  the 
current,  and  our  wagon  had  a very  narrow  escape  from  being 
capsized.  When  half  way  across  the  stream  it  stuck  fast,  and 
for  upwards  of  four  hours  all  our  efforts  to  extricate  it  proved 
ineffectual.  During  the  whole  of  this  time  we  were  immersed 
up  to  our  necks  in  water,  which  hourly  increased.  What  with 
the  velocity  of  the  current,  the  depth  of  the  river,  and  the  loose- 
ness of  the  soil  beneath,  we  were  unable  to  obtain  a firm  foot- 
ing, and  men,  oxen,  and  dogs  were  frequently  jumbled  together 
in  the  most  awkward  confusion.  After  almost  superhuman  ex- 
ertions, having  previously  been  obliged  to  remove  all  the  heavy 
things  from  the  vehicle,  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shore  in  safe- 
ty. Here,  again,  'to  our  dismay,  we  found  our  path  barred  by  im- 
mense blocks  of  stone,  and  the  roughness  of  the  ground  in  general 
along  the  bank.  We  had  no  alternative  but  to  retrace  our 
steps,  and  recross  the  river  at  a more  convenient  point,  which 
we  successfully  accomplished  on  the  following  morning,  when 
the  water  had  somewhat  subsided. 

Hence  we  traveled  about  northeast,  alternately  in  the  bed 
and  on  the  banks  of  a tributary  to  the  Swakop.  On  reaching 
the  foot  of  that  picturesque  chain  of  mountains  extending  in  a 
northerly  direction  from  Eikhams  towards  Schmelen’s  Hope, 
where  it  terminates  rather  abruptly,,  we  encountered  g.-eat  num- 
bers of  the  oryx,  which  afforded  us  syv-T' 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


THE  ORYX  ; MORE  THAN  ONE  SPECIES WHERE  FOUND PROBABLY  KNOWN 

IN  EUROPE  PREVIOUS  TO  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  PASSAGE  ROUND  CAPE- 

OF-GOOD-HOPE DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  ORYX GREGARIOUS SPEED- 

FOOD WATER  NOT  NECESSARY  TO  ITS  EXISTENCE WILL  FACE  THE 

LION FORMIDABLE  HORNS THEIR  USE FLESH THE  CHASE  OF  THIS 

ANIMAL. 

Three  distinct  species  of  oryxes1  are  recognized  by  naturalists, 
ranging  over  a great  extent  of  the  more  desert  and  thinly-peo- 
pled districts  of  Africa.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  continent, 
the  type  is  represented  by  the  leucoryx,2  which  strikingly  re- 
sembles the  oryx  or  gemsbok  ( oryx  capensis),  of  which  the  ac- 
companying drawing  is  an  excellent  representation. 

The  gemsbok  (so  called  by  the  Dutch,  from  a supposed  re- 
semblance to  the  chamois  of  Europe)  seems  restricted  to  the 
central  and  western  parts  of  Southern  Africa,  few  or  none  being 
found  in  its  eastern  portion.  It  was  once  common  within  the 
colony,  but  what  with  its  shy  habits,  the  constant  persecution 
it  suffers',  and  the  advance  of  civilization,  its  numbers  are  now 
rapidly  decreasing,  and  few  at  the  present  day  are  to  be  found 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  British  territory. 

1 Oryx  capensis,  oryx  beisa,  and  oryx  leucoryx. 

2 The  numerous  engravings  of  the  leucoryx  on  the  sculptures  of  Egypt  clearly 
indicate  that  this  animal  was  well-known  to  the  nations  inhabiting  the  valley  of 
the  Nile.  It  was  chosen  as  an  emblem,  but  whether  as  a good  or  evil  symbol  is 
uncertain,  though  some  modern  writers  seem  in  favor  of  the  former  opinion.  The 
wealthy  Egyptians  kept  a great  number  of  this  antelope  in  a tame  state,  but  it 
aoes  not  appear  to  have  been  considered  a sacred  animal.  Indeed,  if  was  indis- 
criminately sacrificed  to  the  gods,  and  slaughtered  for  the  table. 


THE  ORYX. 


219 


Judging  from  some  ancient  coats  of  arms,  it  would  really  seem 
that  the  gemsbok  was  known  to  Europeans  even  before  the 
Portuguese  discovered  the  passage  round  the  Cape-of-Good- 
Hope.1  We  are  told  that  John  of  Lancaster,  the  great  Duke  of 
Bedford,  bore  bis  arms  supported  by  this  animal,  which  is  still 
on  the  sinister  side  of  the  heraldic  shield  of  the  present  ducal 
house  of  Bedford.  Amongst  various  embellishments,  which  are 
painted  in  the  Bruges  style  of  the  period,  in  a prayer-book,  once 
the  property  of  John  of  Lancaster,  are  found  his  armorial  de- 
vices, with  the  antelope  black,  whose  straight  spiral  horns,  al- 
though placed  almost  at  right-angles  with  the  head,  are  evi- 
dently intended  for  those  of  the  oryx.  The  animal  is  adorned 
with  gilded  tusks,  but  in  other  respects  is  not  ill-drawn.  It  is 
conjectured  that  this  book  was  illuminated  on  the  marriage  of 
the  Duke  of  Bedford  with  Anne,  Princess  of  Burgundy.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  it  cannot  well  be  later  than  the  period  of  his 
death  in  the  year  1435. 

The  gemsbok  is  a very  remarkable  animal,  and  though  pos- 
sessed of  many  of  those  beautiful  peculiarities  which  character- 
ize antelopes,  there  is  something  anomalous  about  him.  He  has 
the  mane  and  tail  of  the  horse,  the  head  and  coloring  of  the  ass, 
and  the  legs  and  feet  of  the  antelope.  The  horns  are  about 
three  feet  in  length,  slightly  curved  backwards,  ringed  at  the 
base,  and  of  a shining  black  color.  Those  of  the  female  are 
somewhat  longer  than  the  male’s,  but  of  more  slender  propor- 
tions. About  one-third  of  their  entire  length  is  hollow,  resting 
on  a bony  protuberance.  When  both  horns  are  perfect,  and 
one  has  a side  view  of  the  animal,  they  appear  as  one  and  the 
same,  from  which  circumstance  many  believe  the  gemsbok  to 
be  the  unicorn2 3  of  Scripture. 

The  gemsbok  is  a truly  noble  beast.  The  adult  male  (about 
the  size  of  an  ass)  not  unfrequently  attains  nearly  four  feet  in 
height  at  the  shoulder,  and  about  ten  in  extreme  length.  The 
general  color  of  the  coat  is  a “ vinous  buff.”  The  female  is  very 
similar  in  appearance,  but  slighter  in  form.  The  calves  are  of 
a reddish  cream-color,  which,  as  they  grow  up,  becomes  paler  or 
whitish.  They  are  easily  tamed,  but  sometimes  exhibit  a vici- 


1 It  is  possible  that  heralds  became  acquainted  with  this  animal,  or  at  ler'-t 

with  the  leucoryx,  through  the  Crusaders.  Or,  perhaps,  the  knowledge  war 
obtained  from  the  Romans,  who,  according  to  Martial,  had  the  oryx  at  their 
games 

3 For  some  curious  remarks  on  the  unicorn,  see  Barrow,  vol.  ii.,  page  269  el 
«?■ 


220  SPEED FOOD WATER  NOT  NECESSARY. 


ous  and  treacherous  disposition.  Hans  more  than  once  domes- 
ticated them,  and  I myself  have  had  the  young  alive. 

The  gemsbok  may  be  said  to  be  gregarious  in  its  habits  ; for, 
though  rarely  seen  together  in  any  great  number,  it  is  not  often 
met  singly''. 

Of  all  the  larger  quadrupeds  of  South  Africa,  with  which  I 
can  claim  acquaintance,  the  gemsbok  is,  undoubtedly,  the  swift- 
est. Its  speed  is  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the  horse.  Unless  a j 
man  be  a “ light  weight,”  and  very  well  mounted,  he  has  little 
chance  of  coming  up  with  it.  :! 

The  food  of  the  gemsbok  consists  of  grass,  succulent  plants 
(often  of  a very  acrid  taste),  shrubs,  etc. 

As  with  several  other  animals  indigenous  to  Southern  Africa, 
water  is  not  supposed  to  be  essential  to  the  existence  of  the 
gemsbok.  Gordon  Cumming,  indeed,  tells  us  “ that  it  never  by 
any  chance  tastes  water.”  But  this,  I apprehend,  is  a mistake  ; 
for  I have  not  only  seen  it  on  several  occasions,  whilst  in  the* 
very  act  of  drinking,  but  perfectly  well  authenticated  instances 
have  come  to  my  knowledge  where  whole  troops  of  these 
animals  have  been  discovered  either  dead  or  in  a dying  state 
near  pools  purposely  poisoned  bv  the  natives  for  the  cap- 
ture of  wild  animals.  The  gemsbok,  it  is  true,  is  found  in  the 
most  dreary  and  desolate  districts  far  distant  from  water  • — 

“ A region  of  drought,  where  no  river  glides, 

Nor  rippling  brook  with  osier’d  sides — 

With  no  reedy  pool,  nor  mossy  fountain. 

Nor  shady  tree,  nor  cloud-capp’d  mountain.” 

Nevertheless  (more  especially  at  early  morn)  it  occasionally  fre- 
quents the  banks  of  periodical  rivers,  flanked  or  bordered  by 
broken  ground  or  hills; -and  it  is  to  such  localities,  when 
pursued,  that  it  flies  for  refuge. 

• Though  the  gemsbok  has  rarely,  if  ever,  been  known  to  at- 
tack man,  it  is  quite  capable  of  defending  itself.  With  its  for- 
midable horns,  it  can  strike  an  object  (that  is,  inflict  wounds)  in 
front  as  well  as  behind,  which,  from  their  pointing  backwards, 
was  hardly  to  be  expected.  When  driven  to  bay  by  dogs,  it 
has  been  seen  to  place  its  head  between  its  legs  (the  tips  of  its 
horns,  in  the  while,  almost  resting  on  the  ground),  and  to  rip 
open,  or  toss  into  the  air,  such  of  its  assailants  as  have  had  the 
boldness  to  confront  it.  In  this  manner,  Hans  told  me  he  lost, 
at  different  times,  the  best  dogs  in  the  pack. 

In  open  ground,  the  gemsbok,  it  is  said,  will  stand  on  the 
defensive  even  against  the  lion  himself.  Hans,  indeed,  knew 


221 


HORN  S F RES  H T HE  CHASE. 

an  instance  where  a lion  and  a gemsbok  were  found  lying  dead 
in  each  other’s  grasp;  the  latter  having,  with  his  horns,  trans- 
fixed his  assailant  ! The  carcasses  of  the  two  were  discovered 
before  decomposition  had  taken  place.  The  lion  seems  to  have 
a great  dread  of  the  horns  of  the  gemsbok  ; for,  by  all  accounts, 
he  rarely  ventures  to  attack  except  by  stealth. 

The  horns  of  this  animal  are  used  by  the  natives  for  a variety 
of  purposes.  When  polished,  they  form  strong  and  handsome 
walking-sticks.  The  flesh,  which  is  well-tasted,  is  highly 
prized. 

“ Owing  to  the  uneven  nature  of  the  ground  which  the  oryx 
frequents,”  says  Gordon  Cumming,  “ its  shy  and  suspicious  dis- 
position, and  the  extreme  distances  from  water  to  which  it  must 
be  followed,  it  is  never  stalked  or  driven  to  ati  ambush  like 
other  antelopes  ; but  is  hunted  on  horseback,  and  ridden 
down  by  a long,  severe,  tail-on-end  chase.”  This  is  not  exactly 
correct ; for,  when  on  foot,  I have  killed  great  numbers  of  these 
animals.  Moreover,  were  the  option  left  me,  I would  father 
“stalk”  them  than  pursue  them  on  horseback.  Such  was  also 
Hans’  experience,  who,  during  his  seven  years’  nomade  life  in 
Damara-land,  has  probably  killed  more  gemsboks  than  any 
hunter  in  Southern  Africa.  I have  also  known  this  animal  to 
be  driven  into  pit-falls. 

The  gemsbok,  as  a rule,  runs,  like  the  eland,  against  the  wind 
when  pursued. 


I 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ARRIVAL  AT  EIKHAMS NATIVE  DOGS  ; CRUELLY  TREATED JONKER  AFRI- 
KANER  THE  AUTHOR  VISITS  THE  RED  NATION  ; THE  BAD  REPUTE  OF 

THESE  PEOPLE THE  AUTHOR  ATTACKED  BY  OPHTHALMIA THE  EMBRYO 

LOCUST THE  “ FLYING”  LOCUST  ; ITS  DEVASTATIONS THE  LOCUST  BIRD 

ARRIVAL  AT  REHOBOTH  ; THE  PLACE  DESCRIBED. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  of  February,  we  drove  in  to 
Eikharns  during  a terrific  thunder-storm,  drenched  to  the  skin. 
The  deluging  rain  continued  to  descend  the  whole  of  the 
ensuing  night,  and  the  place  on  the  following  morning  looked 
like  a foaming  torrent.  In  consequence  of  this  inundation,  our 
ox-gear,  and,  in  short,  everything  untanned,  was  completely 
saturated,  and  greatly  resembled  a heap  of  moist  wash-leather. 

The  starved  native  dogs  had  taken  advantage  of  this  circum- 
stance, and  devoured  rather  more  than  two  feet  of  our  “ trek- 
touw.”  The  curs  are  of  the  greatest  annoyance  to  the  traveler 
in  Namaqua-land ; for,  since  the  owners  rarely  feed  them,  they 
greedily  devour  almost  everything  they  come  across.  I have 
had  my  powder-flask,  “ veld”  shoes,  and  even  rifle  (the  stock  of 
which  may  have  happened  to  be  covered  with  hide,  in  order  to 
' keep  it  from  cracking)  abstracted  by  them  from  my  side  dur- 
ing r,he  night.  A person’s  first  impulse,  on  making  the  discov- 
ery, is  to  vow  vengeance  on  the  head  ot  the  thieves  ; but,  on 
seeing  the  emaciated  state  of  the  poor  creatures,  in  which  every 
rib  might  be  counted,  anger  is  turned  into  pity— and  the  up-lifted 
arm,  ready  to  strike  the  blow,  falls  to  its  place. 

It  has  been  said  with  much  truth,  by  amissionary,  that  “ the 
Namaquas  feed  their  dogs  with  stripes.”  From  being  constantly 
kicked  and  knocked  about  in  the  most  brutal  manner,  they 


NATIVE  DOGS. 


223 


gradually  become  so  accustomed  to  ill-treatment,  that  flogging 
produces  little  or  no  effect.  When  struck,  they  merely  shrug 
up  their  backs,  open  their  jaws,  grin  in  a ghastly  manner,  and, 
if  the  chastisement  be  continued,  howl  most  piteously.  This,, 
and  their  skeleton  appearance,  are  enough  to  sicken  a person. 

It  would  be  somewhat  difficult  to  determine  to  what  species 
of  the  canine  race  these  dogs  belong,  or  from  what  breed  they 
originally  descended.  They  bear  some  slight  resemblance  to 
those  I have  seen  at  the  homesteads  of  the  Swedish  peasants.1 

Jonker  had  removed  his  werft  to  some  little  distance  from 
Eikhams.  He  invariably  did  this  every  year  after  the  rains,  in 
order  to  save  the  pasturage  for  the  dry  season.  I rode  over 
to  the  village,  where  I found  nearly  the  whole  tribe — women 
and  children,  at  least — congregated.  This  was  an  opportunity 
I had  long  desired,  since  it  would  enable  me  to  form  a rough 
estimate  of  their  number.  Jonker  and  most  of  the  men  were 
absent;  but  by  counting  the  huts,  and  taking  the  average  num- 
ber of  individuals  to  each,  I came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
aggregate  of  Namaquas,  capable  of  carrying  arms,  did  not  exceed 
five  hundred.  The  servants,  or  rather  slaves,  on  the  other 
hand,  consisting  of  bushmen,  Hill-Damaras,  and  impoverished 
Damaras,  were  probably  three  or  four  times  as  numerous.  By 
supposing  each  man  to  be  possessed  of  one  gun,  which  is  per- 
haps below  the  mark,  Jonker’s  tribe  possess  in  round  numbers 
two  thousand  fire-locks.  If  their  courage  corresponded  to  their 
numerical  strength,  they  might  prove  a formidable  body  even  to 
Europeans,  but  this  is  fortunately  far  from  being  the  case. 

Jonker  was  indebted  to  us  several  head  of  cattle,  and  we  were 
accordingly  anxious  for  his  return  ; but  no  person  could  or 
would  inform  us  when  this  was  likely  to  happen.  With  regard 
to  other  inquiries,  such  as  the  object  and  motive  of  his  present 
journey,  the  answers  were  equally  unsatisfactory.  Neverthe- 
less, the  shyness  of  the  natives,  when  interrogated  on  these  points, 
coupled  with  our  knowledge  that  Jonker  was  accompanied  by 
almost  all  his  warriors,  made  us  suspect  that  he  had  gone  on  a 
plundering  expedition  against  the  Damaras. 

After  a few  days’  stay  at  Eikhams,  we  directed  our  steps  to  a 

1 Mr.  Lichtenstein,  when  speaking  of  the  bushmen  dogs,  which  may  be  consid- 
ered identical  with  those  of  the  Hottentots,  thus  writes  : — “ These  dogs,  in  thei>* 
size  and  form,  have  a striking  resemblance  to  the  black-backed  fox  of  Southern 
Africa,  the  jackal  as  he  is  falsely  called,  cards  mesomelas  ; so  that  it  seems  very 
probable  that  the  one  is  really  a descendant  from  the  other  ; only  that  the  proper- 
ties of  the  animal  are,  in  the  course  of  time,  somewhat  changed,  from  its  having 
been  tamed  and  trained  by  the  hand  of  man.” 


‘224 


VISIT  THE  RED  NATION CORNEL  ICS. 


powerful  tribe  of  Namaquas,  known  as  the  “ Roode-Natie,”  or 
Red  Nation.  I had  two  objects  in  view  for  visiting  these  people, 
namely  to  trade,  and  to  learn  something  about  them  and  their 
country.  Every  one  I met,  including  the  missionaries,  repre- 
sented them  as  the  most  barbarous  and  brutal  of  all  the  Hotten- 
tots in  Great  Namaqua-land.  Only  one  trader  had  visited  them, 
and  him  they  treated  so  shamefully  as  to  discourage  others  from 
making  a like  attempt.  I was  determined,  however,  if  possible, 
to  ascertain  the  cause  of  their  evil  reputation,  and  to  endeavor 
to  establish  friendly  relations  with  them. 

My  reception  was  such  as  to  corroborate  the  ill-reports  that 
had  reached  my  ears.  At  the  first  werft  we  came  to,  they  stole 
a large  quantity  of  clothing  belonging  to  our  servants  ; but  after 
some  trouble,  we  succeeded  in  recovering  the  property.  At  the 
next  village,  they  threatened  to  shoot  us  on  the  spot  if  we  did 
not  sell  our  things  at  their  own  terms!  Three  different  times 
their  chief  sent  to  say,  that  if  we  attempted  to  stir  without  his 
orders,  he  would  fire  upon  us.  To  this  insolent  message,  we 
quietly  replied,  that  he  would  have  been  at  liberty  to  prevent 
our  coming  to  his  werft,  but,  with  regard  to  our  departure,  we 
should  consult  our  own  convenience.  Finding  us  determined, 
and  that  we  were  preparing  to  start,  he  soon  came  to  terms,  and 
in  the  most  humble  manner  offered  an  explanation  and  apolo- 
gy for  his  rude  conduct,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  we 
thought  it  best  to  accept. 

We  were  just  about  to  turn  our  backs  upon  the  Red  Nation, 
when  a messenger  arrived  from  Cornelius,  the  chief,  with  a civil 
and  pressing  invitation  to  visit  him  at  his  kraal.  After  some 
little  hesitation,  we  consented,  and  speedily  followed  the  envoy 
On  arriving  at  the  werft,  prettily  situated  at  the  foot  of  a hill, 
near  the  banks  of  the  Ivubakop  river,  which  here  forced  its  pas- 
sage though  a very  remarkable  range  of  mountains,  I immedi- 
ately called  the  tribe  together,  and  reproached  them  for  their 
bad  behavior  towards  strangers.  I,  moreover,  explained  to  them 
the  impolicy  of  such  conduct,  and  how  very  injurious  it  would 
prove  to  their  own  interest,  since  they  were  entirely  dependent 
on  the  Cape-Colony  for  their  supplies  of  arms  and  ammunition, 
clothing,  and  other  commodities. 

My  efforts  in  bringing  about  a thorough  good  understanding, 
were  successful.  A short  time  afterwards,  indeed,  a number  of 
raders,  encouraged  by  my  favorable  reception,  visited  these 
people,  and  supplied  their  wants  at  the  same  rate  as  paid  by  the 
other  Hottentot  tribes  residing  in  Great  Namaqua-land.  More- 
over, they  have  lately  admitted  a missionary  amongst  them,  and 


SLAVER  Y E MBRYO  LOCUSTS. 


225 


it  is  to  be  hoped  that,  through  good  examples,  they  may  ulti- 
mately be  civilized. 

The  chief  strong-hold  of  the  Red  Nation  is  about  the  Ku- 
bakop,  but  a part  of  the  tribe  is  settled  on  the  Fish  river. 
Taken  as  a whole,  they  possess,  probably,  the  worst  portion  of 
the  northern  part  of  Great  Namaqua-land.  They  call  them- 
selves Kaikhous,  a word  signifying  large  ridges  of  hills,  in  con- 
tradistinction to  Zwartbooi’s  tribe,  the  name  of  which  is  Kharik- 
hous,  or  small  ridges.  They  look  upon  Jonker  and  his  people, 
who  are  known  as  “ Oerlam,”  not  only  with  jealousy,  but  with 
something  akin  to  contempt. 

I found  but  few  Damara  slaves  amongst  the  Red  Nation,  which 
at  first  struck  me  as  singular,  for  their  outrage  on  the  Damaras 
was,  at  least,  of  equal  extent  to  that  perpetrated  by  the  rest  of 
the  northern  Namaquas.  1 could  only  explain  this  by  supposing 
that  they  killed  their  prisoners.  I afterwards  learnt  that  my 
conjecture  was  correct;  and  that,  having  surrounded  a werfr, 
they  coolly  shot  down  every  soul,  women  and  children  not  ex- 
cepted. However,  having  lately  discovered  that  the  Damaras 
make  useful  drudges,  they  have,  from  interested  motives,  become 
less  bloody-minded. 

Whilst  staying  with  Cornelius,  I was  attacked  by  ophthalmia, 
and  for  a few  days  suffered  great  agonies  ; but,  fortunately,  be- 
fore the  disease  had  arrived  at  its  maximum,  it  took  a favorable 
turn. 

Having  succeeded  in  disposing  of  the  greater  part  of  our 
goods,  we  took  leave  of  our  host,  and  bent  our  steps  towards 
Rehoboth,  which  was  on  our  road  to  the  Cape.  The  day  after 
our  departure,  we  met  with  vast  numbers  of  the  larvae  of  the 
locust  (gryttus  devastator , Lich.),  commonly  called  by  the  Boers, 
“ voet-gangers,”  literally,  foot-goers.  In  some  places  they  might 
be  seen  packed  in  layers  several  inches  in  thickness,  and  myriads 
were  crushed  and  maimed  by  our  wagon  and  cattle.  Towards 
night-fall,  they  crawled  on  to  the  bushes  and  the  shrubs,  many 
of  which,  owing  to  their  weight  and  numbers,  were  either  bowed 
down  to  the  ground  or  broken  short  oft*.  They  were  of  a red- 
dish color,  with  dark  markings;  and,  as  they  hung  thus  sus- 
pended, they  looked  like  clusters  of  rich  fruit.  As  they  hopped 
along  the  path  and  amongst  the  grass,  their  appearance  was  no 
less  curious  and  striking. 

These  “voet-gangers”  are  justly  dreaded  by  the  colonists,  as 
no  obstacle  seems  capable  of  staying  their  progress.  They  are 
said  to  cross  stagnant  pools — ay,  even  the  Orange  river — by  the 
leading  multitudes  throwing  themselves  heedlessly  into  the 

15 . 


226 


LOCUST  S T HEIR  DEVASTATIONS. 


water,  where  they  are  drowned,  thus  affording  the  .survivors 
a temporary  bridge.  Fires,  which  are  lighted  in  their  path,  in 
the  hope  of  staying  their  course,  are  extinguished  by  their 
myriads.  “ All  human  endeavors  to  diminish  their  numbers,” 
says  a recent  author,  “ would  appear  like  attempting  to  drain 
the  ocean  by  a pump.” 

As  we  traveled  on  next  morning  we  encountered  the  locust 
itself,  and  in  such  masses  as  literally  to  darken  the  air. 

“ Onward  they  came,  a dark  continuous  cloud 
Of  congregated  myriads  numberless, 

The  rushing  of  whose  wings  was  as  the  sound 
Of  a broad  river,  headlong  in  its  course 
Plunged  from  a mountain  summit ; or  the  roar 
Of  a wild  ocean  in  the  autumn  storm, 

Shattering  its  billows  on  a shore  of  rocks.” 

Our  wagon,  or  any  other  equally  conspicuous  object,  could 
positively  not  be  distinguished  at  the  distance  of  one  hundred 
paces.  In  a particular  spot,  within  the  circumference  of  a mile, 
they  had  not  left  a particle  of  any  green  thing.  The  several 
columns  that  crossed  our  path,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  must 
each  have  been  many  miles  in  length  and  breadth.  The  noise  of 
their  wings  was  very  great — not  unlike  that  caused  by  a gale 
of  wind  whistling  through  the  shrouds  of  a ship  at  anchor.  It 
was  interesting  to  witness  at  a distance  the  various  shapes  and 
forms  that  these  columns  assumed,  more  especially  when  cross- 
ing mountain-ranges.  At  one  time,  they  would  rise  abruptly 
in  a compact  body,  as  if  propelled  by  a strong  gust  of  wind; 
then,  suddenly  sinking,  they  would  disperse  into  smaller  batta- 
lions, not  unlike  vapors  floating  about  a hillside  at  early  morn, 
and  when  slightly  agitated  by  the  breeze.  Or  they  would 
resemble  huge  columns  of  sand  or  smoke,  changing  every  min- 
ute their  shape  and  evolutions. 

During  their  flight,  numbers  were  constantly  alighting,  an 
action  which  has  no,t  inaptly  been  compared  to  the  falling  of 
large  snow  flakes.  It  is,  however,  not  until  the  approach  of 
night  that  they  encamp.  Woe  to  the  spot  they  select  as  a rest- 
ing place!  When  the  rising  sun  again  speeds  their  departure, 
localities,  which  on  the  preceding  evening  were  rich  in  vege- 
tation, are  bare  and  naked  as  the  Sahara.  “When  a swarm 
alights  on  a garden” — says  Mr.  Moffat — “ or  even  fields,  the 
crop  for  one  season  is  destroyed.  I have  observed  a field  of 
young  maize  devoured  in  the  space  of  two  hours.  They  eat  not 
only  tobacco,  and  every  other  vegetable  but  also  flannel  and 
linen.” 


EATEN  BY  THE  NATIVES LOCUST  BIRD. 


227 


From  what  has  been  said,  it  is  evident  that  the  husbandman 
has  just  reason  to  he  appalled  at  the  approach  of  this  destructive 
insect.  To  the  poor  bushmen,  “ the  children  of  the  desert,”  on 
the  other  hand,  who  have  neither  herds  to  lose  by  famine,  nor 
corn-fields  to  be  destroyed  by  their  devastations,  their  arrival  is 
a cause  of  rejoicing.  Pringle,  in  his  song  of  the  wild  bushman, 
has  the  following  lines — 

“ Yea,  even  the  wasting  locust-swarm, 

Which  mighty  nations  dread, 

To  me  nor  terror  brings  nor  harm  ; 

I make  of  them  my  bread.” 

On  the  present  occasion  we  found  a great  number  of  Hotten- 
tots, as  also  Hill-Damaras,  busy  collecting  the  locusts,  which 
was  done  in  a very  simple  and  ingenious  manner.  Having 
gathered  together  large  quantities  of  dry  fuel,  fires  were  lighted 
directly  in  their  path,  and  as  the  insects  passed  over  the  flames, 
their  wings  were  scorched,  and  they  fell  helplessly  to  the 
ground. 

They  are  also  collected  by  cart-loads  at  night  when  they  have 
retired  to  rest ; but  this  plan  is  occasionally  attended  with  dan- 
ger. “ It  has  happened  that,  in  gathering  them,  people  have 
been  bitten  by  venomous  reptiles.  On  one  occasion  a woman  had 
been  traveling  several  miles  with  a large  bundle  of  locusts  on 
her  head,  when  a serpent,  which  had  been  put  into  the  sack 
with  them,  found  its  way  out.  The  woman  supposing  it  to  be 
a thong  dangling  about  her  shoulders,  laid  hold  of  it  with  hex 
hand,  and  feeling  that  it  was  alive,  instantly  precipitated  the 
bundle  to  the  ground,  and  fled.” 

The  locusts,  after  being  partially  roasted,  are  eaten  fresh,  or 
they  are  dried  in  the  hot  ashes,  and  then  stored  away  for  future 
emergencies.  The  natives  reduce  them  also  to  powder,  or  meal, 
by  means  of  two  stones  or  a wooden  mortar,  which  powder, 
when  mixed  with  water,  produces  a kind  of  soup  or  stir-about. 
I have  tasted  locusts  prepared  in  various  ways,  but  I cannot  say 
that  I have  found  them  very  palatable.  But  they  must  contain 
a vast  deal  of  nourishment,  since  the  poor  people  thrive  wonder- 
fully on  them. 

Birds  of  almost  every  description,  more  especially  storks  and 
kites,  are  seen  devouring  them  greedily. 

The  great  enemy  of  the  locust,  however,  is  the  locust-bird,  or 
the  “ spring-haan  vogel,”  as  it  is  termed  by  the  colonists.  This 
<8  described  as  a species  of  thrush,*  about  the  size  of  a swallow, 


228 


ARRIVE  AT  KEHOBOTH. 


and  is  a constant  attendant  on  the  insect.  It  is  even  said  to 
build  its  nest  and  rear  its  young  in  the  midst  of  locusts — which, 
moreover,  occasionally  prey  on  each  other ; for  when  a locust 
becomes  maimed  or  crippled,  its  companions  instantly  pounce 
upon  and  devour  it. 

The  locust  which  causes  such  havoc  to  vegetation  in  Africa, 
is  said  to  be  a different  species  to  that  common  to  Asia — where 
also,  though  perhaps  not  to  the  same  extent,  it  commits  great 
ravages. 

The  Cape  Colony  has  been  particularly  subject  to  this  dread- 
ful scourge,  which  is  invariably  followed  by  famine.  The  in- 
roads of  the  locusts  are  periodical  ; according  to  Pringle,  about 
once  every  fifteen  years.  In  1808,  after  having  laid  waste  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  country,1  they  disappeared,  and  did 
not  return  till  1824.  They  then  remained  for  several  years,  but 
in  1830  took  their  departure. 

The  proper  home  of  the  locust  is  yet  a mystery.  Experience 
only  tells  us  that  they  come  southwards  from  the  north.  They 
rarely  appear  in  any  number  except  in  years  of  abundance. 

Almost  every  day  during  several  months,  we  encountered 
innumerable  swarms  of  these  insects;  and  it  was  not  till  we 
•had  crossed  the  Orange  river  that  we  fairly  lost  sight  of  them. 

On  the  15th  of  March  we  reached  Rehoboth,  where,  as  al- 
ready said,  there  is  a missionary  station  pertaining  to  the  Rhen- 
ish society.  Here  I had  the  pleasure  of  making  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Kleinsclnnidt  and  Vollmer.  They  re- 
sided in  substantial  clay-houses  thatched  with  reeds.  The 
church,  in  the  erection  of  which  Mr.  Kleinschmidt  had  taken  a ji 
very  active  part,  is  a handsome  and  roomy  structure,  capable  of 
holding  several  hundred  people.  From  the  ' disproportionate 

1 Barrow,  who  wrote  about  this  period,  and  who  gives  a remarkable  account  of  1 
the  devastations  of  these  insects,  probably  alludes  to  this  very  circumstance  when  I 
he  says  : — 

“ The  present  year  is  the  third  of  their  continuance,  and  their  increas'e  lias  far  j 
exceeded  that  of  a geometrical  progression  whose  ratio  is  a million.  For  ten  ; 
years  preceding  their  present  visit,  the  colony  had  been  entirely  freed  from  them. 
Their  last  departure  wras  rather  singular.  All  the  full-grown  insects  were  driven 
into  the  sea  by  a tempestuous  northwest  wind,  and  wrere  afterwards  cast  upon  the 
beach,  where,  it  is  said,  they  formed  a bank  of  three  or  four  feet  high,  which  ex- 
tended from  the  mouth  of  the  Bosjeman’s  river  to  that  of  the  Becka,  a distance  of 
near  fifty  Euglisb  miles ; and  it  is  asserted,  that  when  this  mass  became  putrid, 
and  the  wind  was  at  southeast,  the  stench  was  sensibly  felt  in  several  parts  of 
Sneuwberg.  * * * The  larvae  at  the  same  time  were  emigrating  to  the): 

northward.  The  column  of  these  imperfect  insects  passed  the  houses  of  two  of  ( 
our  party,  who  assured  me  that  it  continued,  moving  forward  without  any  inter- 
ruption, except  by  night,  for  more  than  a month.”  1 !| 


HOT  SPRING. 


goc 

breadth  of  the  building,  however,  the  roof  could  not  sustain  its 
own  weight:  and  some  time  previously  to  my  visit,  the  greater 
part  had  fallen  down.  Divine  service,  nevertheless,  continued 
to  be  performed  in  that  portion  of  the  building  which  remained 
uninjured. 

At  this  period  the  station  was  in  a most  flourishing  condition. 
But,  alas ! circumstances  have  since  changed;  and  it  is  now  a 
question  whether  the  mission  can  continue  to  exist.  Should  it 
be  abandoned,  ten  years  of  unremitted  labor  and  exertion  will 
be  entirely  lost;  and  I sadly  fear  it  will  break  the  heart  of  its 
founder — the  worthy  and  venerable  Kleinschmidt. 

Rehoboth  is  well  supplied  with  good  and  clear  water  from  a 
fountain  hard  by.  There  is  also  a copious  warm  spring  flowing 
from  a limestone  rock  ; but  the  water  is  looked  upon  as  un- 
wholesome, and  only  made  use  of  for  cattle,  washing  of  clothes, 
and  the  seasoning  of  timber. 

The  warm  spring  in  question  is  situated  on  rising  ground,  and 
consequently  affords  facilities  for  irrigation ; though  unfortu- 
nately the  soil  is  scanty  and  unfavorable  for  gardening.  The 
missionaries,  and  a few  natives,  have,  by  perseverance,  succeeded 
in  fertilizing  patches  of  ground  which  are  tolerably  productive 
Indeed,  I have  known  a fig-tree — certainly  not  above  five  or  six 
feet  in  height — in  Mr.  Kleinsclnnidt’s  garden,  to  produce  a dish 
of  fruit  every  day  for  a space  of  more  than  three  months.  The 
garden-vegetables  which  thrive  best  are  pumpkins,  calabashes, 
water-melons,  etc.  The  wild  gourd,  or  melon,  is  also  found  in 
great  abundance  about  Rehoboth.  When  ripe,  this  fruit  is  col 
lecced  by  the  natives,  dried,  and  stored  away  for  seasons  of 
scarcity. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


RETURN  TO  EIKHAMS UGLY  FALL SPLENDID  LANDSCAPE JONKER’S  DE- 
LINQUENCIES  HOW  TO  MANAGE  THE  NATIVES THE  ONDARA IT  KILLS 

A MAN HOW  HIS  COMRADE  REVENGES  HIM MEDICAL  PROPERTIES  OF 

THE  ONDARA THE  COCKATRICE THE  COBRA -DI-CAPELLO THE  PUFF- 

ADDER THE  SPITTING  SNAKE — THE  BLACK  SNAKE FEW  DEATHS 

CAUSED  BY  SNAKES ANTIDOTES  FOR  SNAKE  BITES RETURN  TO  RE-  \ 

HOBOTH. 

Leaving  Hans  in  charge  of  the  men  and  cattle,  I posted  back 
to  Eikhams,  a distance  of  about  sixty  miles,  in  the  hope  of  recover- 
ing our  debt  from  Jonker;  but  he  had  not  yet  returned.  By 
this  time,  however,  I received  positive  information  that  he  and 
his  people  were  engaged  in  a cattle-lifting  foray.  To  enable  me 
to  acquire  full  details  of  their  proceedings,  I set  off  for  Barmen — 
the  head-quarter  for  information  as  respects  Damara-land.  Here 
fugitives  arrived  daily,  bringing  tidings  of  plunder  and  blood- 
shed. I felt  grieved  and  angry  at  Jonker’s  outrageous  behavior. 
Only  a year  before,  he  had  most  solemnly  promised  Mr.  Gfalton 
never  again  to  molest  the  Damaras. 

Hearing  that  Kachamaha,  the  most  powerful  chief  in  the 
country  since  the  death  of  Kahichene,  resided  not  far  from  Bar- 
men, and  that  he  had  been  a severe  sufferer  by  the  depredations 
of  the  Namaquas,  I determined  to  visit  him,  with  a view  of  as- 
certaining the  extent  of  his  own  and  his  countrymen’s  losses. 

I found  Kachamaha’s  kraal  on  the  steep  banks  of  a periodical 
stream,  one  of  the  largest  tributaries  of  the  Swakop.  The  situ- 
ation was  most  picturesque.  The  wonderful  luxuriance  of  the 
vegetation,  and  extreme  beauty  of  the  landscape  at  this  season— 


SPLENDID  LANDSCAP  E A N UGLY  FALL.  231 


the  thousands  of  cattle  crowding  the  verdant  slopes — the  purl- 
ing stream,  which  made  a music  strange  to  these  regions — 

“ A noise  like  of  a hidden  brook 
In  the  leafy  month  of  June, 

That  to  the  sleeping  woods  all  night 
Singeth  a quiet  tune” — 

the  mimosa  (now  in  full  blossom) — the  numerous  fires  on  an 
evening,  around  which  bustling  and  merry  groups  of  savages 
were  busily  preparing  their  plain  “veld-kost”  of  wild  roots  and 
bulbs — these,  and  many  other  signs  of  abundance,  cheerfulness, 
and  content,  infused  a sensation  of  tranquil  happiness  which  I 
had  not  experienced  since  my  arrival  in  this  sun-burnt  and  un 
happy  land. 

The  result  of  my  own  and  Mr.  Hahn’s  inquiries,  was  a con 
fiction  that  Jonker,  with  his  murderous  horde,  had  destroyed 
in  his  recent  foray  upwards  of  forty  werfts  or  villages ; and  that 
the  aggregate  number  of  cattle  carried  off*  could  not  have  been 
much  short  of  ten  or  eleven  thousand.  One  powerful  tribe  of 
Damaras  had  been  completely  broken  up.  With  regard  to  the 
number  of  people  killed,  we  were  unable  to  ascertain  anything 
with  certainty  ; but  we  had  reason  to  think  that  on  this  occasion 
it  was  not  considerable. 

Having  collected  all  the  facts  which  I thought  necessary  to 
convict- Jonker  of  his  guilt,  I retraced  my  steps  to  Eikhams. 

Almost  immediately  after  leaving  Barmen,  I had  a very  ugly 
fall  from  my  ox.  He  was  plunging  and  kicking  most  viciously  • 
but  I succeeded  for  a time  in  keeping  my  seat.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  all  at  once,  both  girths  gave  way,  and  after 
performing  a somerset  in  the  air,  I came  with  a violent  thump  to 
the  ground.  I alighted  in  a sitting  position  ; but  as  ill-luck  would 
have  it*  my  left  leg  came  in  contact  with  the  stump  of  a tree, 
which  inflicted  a wound  fully  two  inches  in  depth,  and  nearly 
thq  same  in  length.  In  this  state  I was  obliged  to  ride  upwards 
of  one  hundred  miles;  and  the  consequence  was  that  by  the 
time  I reached  Rehoboth,  what  with  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and 
the  jolting  of  the  ox,  my  limb  was  alarmingly  inflamed.  A 
week’s  rest,  however,  restored  me,  in  a degree,  to  health. 

On  arriving  near  Eikhams,  I observed  almost  every  hill  and 
dale  covered  with  numerous  herds  of  cattle — the  spoils  of  the 
last  excursion.  On  my  arrival,  I requested  an  immediate  inter- 
view with  the  chief.  In  a day  or  two,  accompanied  by  twenty 
of  his  principal  men,  he  made  his  appearance.  The  meeting 
took  place  in  the  old  church,  where  I had  established  myselfi 


232 


JONKER  a DEFENSE. 


which  gave  a 


Eyebrecht  and 


certain  solemnity  to  the  occasion 
Onesimus  acted  as  interpreters. 

Every  one  being  duly  seated,  and  silence  obtained,  I thus  ad- 
dressed the  chieftain  : — 

“ Captain  Jonker  ! when  I last  saw  you,  I shook  hands  with 
you  : it  grieves  me  that  I cannot  do  so  to-day  ; the  cause  you 
must  be  aware  of.”  1 then  proceeded  boldly  to  accuse  him  of 
his  late  depredations  in  Damara-land,  to  which  both  he  and  the 
rest  of  the  audience  listened  in  the  most  profound  silence. 

Hattng  finished  my  harangue,  the  cunning  chief  requested  to 
be  allowed  to  speak  a few  words  in  his  defense,  which,  of 
course,  was  granted.  He  then  entered  into  a very  long  and 
cleverly  concocted  story  of  the  great  losses  he  had  sustained  at 
the  hands  of  the  Damaras  ; and  that  what  he  had  now  done 
was  solely  in  self-defense,  or  as  indemnification  for  robberies  , 
committed  on  himself.  Whatever  truth  there  might  have 
been  in  his  assertion  as  to  preceding  outrages,  his  story,  on 
the  present  occasion,  was  one  chain  of  falsehood,  and  this  I 
clearly  proved  to  him.  At  last,  finding  no  further  excuse,  and 
perceiving  that  I knew  all  about  his  proceedings,  he  confessed 
that,  in  passing  through  the  country,  his  men  had  certainly  j 
“taken  a few  head  of  cattle;  but,”  added  he,  “ we  left  plenty 
after  us.”  The  manner  in  which  he  thus  attempted  to  get  out 
of  the  scrape  was  so  ridiculous,  that  I could  not  help  smiling. 
After  a little  more  parley  the  conference  broke  up. 

The  Namaquas,  however  much  they  may  be  averse  to  hear 
the  truth,  respect  the  man  who  speaks  his  mind  boldly.  For 
this  very  reason  I was  never  denied  a favor  or  request,  if  in 
their  power  to  grant  it.  The  case  was  similar  with  Mr.  Hahn, 
who  acted  on  the  same  principle  as  myself. 

In  my  dealings  with  the  natives,  and  more  especially  with  the 
Namaquas,  I made  it  a rule  to  treat  them  civilly,  and  even  def- 
erentially, but  I never  mixed  very  freely  with  them.  The  mo- 
ment a person  becomes  too  familiar,  they  lose  all  respect  for 
him.  The  only  check  he  has  on  their  avarice,  and  safeguard 
against  their  treachery  is  to  exert,  as  far  as  possible,  a certain 
moral  influence  over  their  minds.  This  he  effects,  to  a certain 
extent,  by  showing  himself  superior  to  their  faults  and  vices.1 
It  might  be  convenient  enough  to  imitate  them  in  some  respects  ,j 
but,  on  the  whole,  it  will  prove  injurious  and  detrimental  to  the 
traveler’s  interest. 

After  a short  stay  at  Eikhams,  I bade  adieu  to  Jonker,  and  sei 
off  on  my  return  to  Rehoboth. 

One  morning-,  when  crossing  a periodical  stream,  I observed 


THE  OJi  DAR  A 1 T KILLS  A MAN. 


203 


in  its  sandy  bed,  the  tracks  of  an  immense  serpent,  in  size,  as 
it  would  seem,  not  much  inferior  to  the  boa  constrictor.  I 
had  previously  heard  that  such  monsters  inhabited  this  part  of 
Africa,1  but  the  natives  declared  they  were  poisonous  (not  char- 
acteristic of  this  family  of  reptiles),  and,  consequently,  feared 
them  greatly.  The  Damaras  called  the  serpent  in  question  the 
Ondara,  and  said  that  its  chief  food  was  the  rock-rabbit  ( hyrax 
capensis).  Mr.  Hahn  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  one  of  these 
huge  creatures,  which  had  been  accidently  killed  by  the  people 
at  JRehoboth.  It  measured  eighteen  feet  in  length.2 3 

I was  told  a very  striking  story  of  the  Ondara,  but  I am  not 
at  all  prepared  to  vouch  for  its  truth. 

Two  Hill-Damaras  had,  it  seems,  gone  in  search  of  honey, 
and  having  found  a bees’  nest  in  the  cleft  of  a rock,  one  of  them 
made  his  way  through  the  confined  aperture  that  led  to  it,  for 
the  purpose  of  possessing  himself  of  the  honeycomb.  But  he 
had  not  long  been  thus  engaged  when  he  discovered  a narrow, 
circular  passage,  leading,  apparently,  right  through  the  nest. 
He  told  this  to  his  comrade  on  the  outside,  who  suggested  that 
it  was  probably  caused  by  a serpent.  However,  seeing  nothing 
to  indicate  the  reptile’s  presence,  he  resumed  his  labor;  and, 
having  secured  the  honeycomb,  was  about  to  withdraw  from  the 
aperture,  when,  to' his  horror,  he  saw  a huge  Ondara  making  to- 
wards him.  The  reptile  passed  the  poor  fellow  in  the  first 
instance,  but  suddenly  turning  round,  it  plunged  its  murderous 
fangs  into  the  man’s  body.  The  poison  was  of  so  virulent  a 
a nature  as  to  caus'e  almost  instantaneous  death.  The  survivor, 

1 Large  species  of  serpents  of  the  python  family  are  known  to  inhabit  many 
parts  of  the  African  continent.  Dr.  Smith,  in  his  Zoology  of  South  Africa,” 
when  speaking  of  a certain  species  ( python  Natalensis)  found  sparingly  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Natal,  thus  says  : — • 

“ It  occasionally  attains  a very  large  size,  and,  according  to  the  natives,  indi- 
viduals have  been  seen  whose  circumference  was  equal  to  that  of  the  body  of  a 
stout  man  : we  have  ourselves  seen  a skin  which  measured  twenty-live  feet,  though 
a portion  of  the  tail  was  deficient.  It  feeds  upon  quadrupeds,  and  for  some  days 
after  swallowing  food  it  remains  in  a torpid  state,  and  may  then  be  easily  destroyed. 
The  South  Africans,  however,  seldom  avail  themselves  of  these  opportunities  of 
ridding  themselves  of  a reptile  they  view  with  horror,  as  they  believe  that  it  has  a 
certain  influence  over  their  destinies ; and  affirm,  that  no  person  has  ever  been 
known  to  maltreat  it  without,  sooner  or  later,  paying  for  his  audacity.” 

3 Mr.  Freeman,  in  “ A Tour  in  South  Africa,”  mentions  having  heard  of  one  of 
this  kind  of  reptiles  being  destroyed  that  actually  exceeded  this  size  nearly  three 
times.  “ This  enormous  serpeut,”  says  the  reverend  gentleman,  “ was  hang- 
ing from  the  bough  of  a large  tree,  and  was  killed  only  after  a desperate  struggle. 
It  measured  fifty  feet  in  length.  This  was  ascertained  by  a number  of  men  lying 
down  at  full  length  by  its  side.  It  took  nine  men  to  reach  from  the  head  to  the 
tail,  and  was  of  prodigious  girth  round  the  body.” 


234 


T H E COCKATRICE. 


witnessing  the  fate  of  his  friend,  fled  precipitately.  On  his  way 
home,  however,  and  when  his  agitation  had  subsided,  he  deter- 
mined to  revenge  himself  on  the  reptile,  and  early  the  following 
day  he  returned  to  put  his  plan  into  execution. 

Having  seen  the  serpent  leave  the  aperture  in  question,  ne 
slipped  unperceived  into  it,  and  quietly  awaited  the  reptile’s 
return.  As  soon  as  he  observed  it  approaching,  he  coolly 
placed  his  open  hand  across  the  narrowest  part  of  the  passage  ; 
and,  just  as  the  monster’s  eyes  glared  within,  he  grasped  it  by 
the  throat,  and,  by  striking  its  head  to  and  fro  against  the  rocks 
on  either  side,  he  soon  succeeded  in  destroying  it. 

Many  Namaquas  believe  that  the  ondara  possesses  certain 
medicinal  virtues  ; therefore,  when  they  succeed  in  killing  the 
reptile,  its  flesh  is  carefully  preserved.  If  a person  falls  sick, 
a portion  is  either  applied  externally  in  the  form  of  an  unction, 
or  given  to  the  patient  in  a decoction. 

The  natives  mention  a very  singular  little  snake,  about  seven  or 
eight  inches  long,  possessing  four  distinct  legs,  each  provided 
with  toes  and  nails  like  a lizard.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  for 
what  purpose  these  limbs  (which  are  placed  somewhat  apart, 
and  rather  to  the  side,  as  in  the  seal)  have  been  destined  by  i 
nature,  since  they  are  apparently  never  used.  The  motion  of 
this  curious  creature,  which  is  of  a dark  slate  color,  is  said  to 
be1  that  of  a perfect  snake.  Three  specimens  were  brought  at 
different  times  to  Mr.  Hahn  when  at  Barmen. 

The  story  of  the*  cockatrice,  so  common  in  many  parts  of  the 
world,  is  also  found  amongst  the  Damaras  ; but  instead  of  crow- 
ing, or  rather  chuckling,  like  a fowl  when  going  to  roost,  they 
say  it  bleats  like  a lamb.  It  attacks  man  as  well  as  beast,  and 
its  bite  is  considered  fatal.  They  point  to  the  distant  north  as 
its  proper  home.  In  Timbo’s  country  it  is  termed  “ hangara, 
and  is  said  to  attain  to  twelve  feet,  or  even  more,  in  length, 
with  a beautifully  variegated  skin.  On  its  head,  like  the 
guinea-fowl,  it  has  a horny  protuberance  of  a reddish  color.  It 
dwells  chiefly  in  trees.  Its  chuckle  is  heard  at  night-fall  ; and 
people,  imagining  that  the  noise  proceeds  from  one  of  their  own 
domestic  fowls  that  has  strayed,,  hasten  to  drive  it  home.  But 
this  frequently  causes  their  destruction ; for  as  soon  as  the 
cockatrice  perceives  its  victim  within  reach,  it  darts  at  it  with 
the  speed  of  lightning  ; and  if  its  fangs  enter  the  flesh,  death 
invariably  ensues,  limbo  informed  me  that  he  once  saw  a dog 
belonging  to  his  father  thus  killed.  Moreover,  the  cockatrice, 
like  the  wild  dog,  wantonly  destroys  more  at  a time  that  it  can 
consume. 


THE  COBH  A-  DI-CAPE  LLO THE  PUFF-ADDER.  23o 

Notwithstanding  the  dryness  of  the  soil  and  the  atmosphere 
between  the  Orange  river  and  the  seventeenth  or  eighteenth 
degrees  of  south  latitude,  reptiles  are  rather  numerous. 
Indeed,  some  parts  of  Damara-land  are  so  infested  by  them 
as  to  be  almost  uninhabitable.  For  my  own  part,  however,  1 
have  encountered  comparatively  few.  I never  saw  the  cobra- 
di-capel!o,  though  it  does  exist  in  these  regions  It  is  common 
enough  in  the  colony,  and  is  even  met  with  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Table  Mountain. 

An  acquaintance  of  mine  had  a remarkable  escape  from  this 
reptile.  Being  passionately  fond  of  botany,  he  was  one  day 
studying  the  Flora  of  the  so-called  “ Cape-flats.”  Having  dis- 
covered a rare  plant,  he  was  stooping  down  to  gather  it,  when 
up  started  a cobra  immediately  beneath  his  hand.  My  friend 
had  no  time  to  turn  round,  but  retreated  backwards  as  quickly 
as  his  legs  would  carry  him.  The  serpent,  however,  was  fast 
gaining  ground  ; and  had  the  chase  lasted  a few  seconds  longer, 
must  inevitably  have  caught  him.  But  just  at  this  critical 
moment  my  friend  stumbled  over  an  ant-hill  and  fell  to  the 
ground  on  his  back  ; and  whilst  in  this  position,  he  saw,  to  his 
inexpressible  relief,  the  enraged  cobra  dash  furiously  past  him. 

Pringle  says  that  this  snake  has  been  known  to  dart  at  a man 
on  horseback,  and  “ with  such  force  as  to  overshoot  its  aim.” 
The  average  length  of  a full-grown  specimen  I believe  to  be 
about  five  feet. 

The  puff-adder  ( vijpera  inflate i)  was  not  uncommon  in  Nama- 
qua-land  and  Damara-land.  My  saddle-ox  had  an  exceedingly 
narrow  escape  from  being  bitten  by  one.  The  reptile  was 
lying  at  length  across  the  path,  arid  I did  not  discover  it  until 
the  ox  almost  trod  on  it.  Any  serpent  less  slow  in  its  move- 
ments must  have  fixed  its  fangs  in  the  animal.  Another  time, 
a woman,  the  wife  of  a native  servant  of  mine,  found  one  of 
these  horrid  creatures  comfortably  sleeping  in  the  folds  of  her 
skin  apron. 

Notwithstanding  its  venomous  character,  the  puff-adder 
from  its  inert,  heavy  and  sluggish  habits,  is  comparatively 
harmless.  The  onty  real  danger  arises  from  treading  on  it. 
This,  however,  is  not  always  easy  to  avoid,  since  its  color  so 
much  resembles  the  ground. 

When  about  to  seize  its  prey,  or  attack  the  enemy,  the  puff- 
adder  is  said  to  be  unable  to  dart  forward,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  to  possess  the  faculty  of  throwing  itself  backward  witb 
unerring  certainty. 

Different  species  of  what  the  Dutch  term  “ schaap-steker.’ 

1 


236 


THE  S P I T T I N G - S N A K B . 


or  sheep-stinger;1  “ boom-slang,”  or  tree-snake  ; “ ringel-hals,” 
or  ring-throat;  “the  spuig-slang,”  or  spitting-snake;2  the 
“ zwart-slang,”  or  black  snake,3  etc.,  are  also  occasionally  met 
with  ; but  none  of  these  are  very  poisonous.  The  spuig-slang, 
however,  is  much  dreaded  by  the  colonist,  less  for  its  bite — 
which,  though  venomous,  is  not  fatal — but  from  its  peculiar 
habit  of  projecting  a jet  of  poison  to  a distance,  of  several 
feet,  towards  the  eyes  of  any  person  who  may  happen  to 
approach  its  haunts — the  result  of  which  is  usually  loss  of 


sight. 


The  common  people  at  the  Cape  have  some  very  singular 
notions  and  superstitions  about  the  different  reptiles  indigenous 
to  the  Cape  Colony,  but  more  especially  with  regard  to  the 
zwart-slang.  Our  wagon-driver  told  us  that  this  snake  is  very 
fond  of  women’s  milk,  and  solemnly  declared  that  he  had 
known  several  instances  where  it  has  entered  people’s  dwell- 
ings at  night,  and  if  it  met  with  a sleeping  mother,  has  dexter- 
ously abstracted  her  milk.  I remember  a somewhat  similar 
story  having  been  told  me  by  the  peasantry  of  some  parts  of 
Sweden,  who  state  that  to  kill  a snake  was  not  alone  a duty, 
but  an  expiatory  sacrifice — since  “seven  sins”  would  be  for- 
given an  individual  for  each  serpent  slain  by  him.  Accord- 
ingly, in  the  credulity  of  my  childish  days,  I was  a perfect 
Thalaba ! 

Incorrect  ideas  of  the  power  of  the  reptile  family,  coupled 
with  superstitious  dread,  has  no  doubt  served  considerably  to 
exaggerate  the  fear  of  snakes.  Many,  we  know,  are  of  the 
most  venomous  character ; but,  as  we  become  better  acquainted 
with  the  different  species,  we  shall  find  that  by  far  the  greater  1 
portion  are  harmless,  or  nearly  so.  The  remarkably  few  cases  ] 
of  death  occurring  from  their  bites  are  a corroboration  of  this. 
Moreover,  like  the  rest  of  lower  animals,  the  most  deadly  rep- 
tile will  generally  fly  at  the  sight  of  man.  It  only  exerts  its 
formidable  powers  of  destruction  when  about  to  be  trampled 
upon  or  assailed.  Were  it  otherwise,  many  of  the  more  humid 
parts  of  our  globe,  where  snakes  literally  swarm,  would  be 
uninhabitable.  Before  setting  foot  on  African  soil,  my  head 
was  full  of  the  dangers  to  which  I should  be  exposed  from 
them — either  when  “treading  the  maze  of  the  jungle,”  or 
when  traversing  the  endless  sand  plains.  Habit  and  experience 
have  since  taught  me  to  regard  snakes  with  something  akin  to 
indifference. 


Trimerorhimcs  rhombeatus.  3 Naia  haje. 


Columber  canut 


ANT1DD1ES  FOR  SNAKE  BITES. 


237 


Some  of  the  antidotes  in  Southern  Africa,  for  the  bites  of 
snakes  and  the  stings  of  poisonous  insects,  are  simple,  singular, 
and  striking. 

The  first  point  to  be  attended  to  is  (if  it  be  practicable),  to 
tie  a string  or  ligature  tight  above  the  wounded  part,  so  as  to 
prevent  the  venom  spreading. 

Cutting  away,  or  applying  caustic  to  the  wounded  part,  if 
promptly  and  unhesitatingly  done,  is  also  likely  to  prevent  fatal 
consequences. 

Europeans  have  usually  recourse  to  eau  de  luce,  five  drops  of 
which  is  administered  to  the  patient  in  a glass  of  water  every 
ten  minutes,  until  the  poison  is  counteracted.  Eau  de  luce  is 
also  applied  externally.  Another  very  good  plan,  is  to  scarify 
with  a knife  the  wound,  and  then  boldly  to  suck  it.  Care, 
however,  must  be  taken  that  one  has  no  sore  about  the  lips  or 
mouth.  Sweet  milk,  oil,  or  spirits  of  hartshorn,  must  then  be' 
applied  to  the  wound.  The  patient  should  also  be  made  to 
drink  freely  of  sweet  milk. 

In  the  Cape  Colony,  the  Dutch  farmers  resort  to  a cruel,  but 
apparently  effective  plan  to  counteract  the  bad  effects  of  a ser- 
pent’s bite.  An  incision  having  been  made  in  the  breast  of  a liv- 
ing fowl,  the  bitten  part  is  applied  to  the  wound.  If  the  poison 
be  very  de^dl\,  the  bird  soon  evinces  symptoms  of  distress 
“becomes  drowsy,  droops  its  head,  and  dies.”  It  is  replaced  by 
a second,  a third,  and  more,  if  requisite.  When,  however,  the 
bird  no  longer  exhibits  any  of  the  signs  just  mentioned,  the 
patient  is  considered  out  of  danger.  A frog,  similarly  applied, 
is  supposed  to  be  equally  efficacious. 

A certain  white  bean  found  in  some  parts  of  the  colony  (de- 
signated somewhat  singularly,  the  gentleman  bean),  has  also 
been  known  to  cure  the  bites  of  serpents,  and  other  poisonous 
creatures.  Thus,  a Damara  woman,  who  had  been  stung  by  a 
scorpion,  was  once  brought  to  Mr.  Hahn  with  her  whole  body 
very  much  swollen  and  inflamed.  She  was  already  in  such  a 
state  as  to  be  unable  to  walk.  He  instantly  divided  one  of  the 
beans  in  question,  and  applied  it  to  the  wound,  to  which  it  ad- 
hered with  such  tenacity  as  only  to  be  removed  by  force.  When 
the  virus  was  extracted,  the  bean  dropped  off  of  its  own  accord, 
and  the  woman,  after  a time,  thoroughly  recovered. 

“ As  an  antidote  against  the  bite  of  serpents,”  says  Thunberg, 
in  his  travels  in  South  Africa,  “ the  blood  of  the  turtle  was 
much  cried  up,  which,  on  account  of  this  extraordinary  virtue, 
the  inhabitants  dry  in  the  form  of  small  scales  or  membranes,  and 
•arry  about  them  when  they  travel  in  this  country,  which 


238 


THE  SNAKE-STONE. 


swarms  with  this  most  noxious  vermin.  Whenever  any  one  e 
wounded  by  a serpent,  he  takes  a couple  of  pinches  of  the  dried 
blood  internally,  and  applies  a little  of  it  to  the  wound.”1 

And  Kolben,  when  speaking  of  the  cobras  (called,  by  the  first 
colonists,  the  hair-serpent.)  says  : — 

“ Some  affirm  that  there  is  iri  the  head  of  the  hair-serpent  a 
stone,  which  is  a never-failing  antidote  both  against  the  poison 
of  this  and  every  other  sort  of  serpent.  I killed  a great  many 
hair-serpents  at  the  Cape,  and  searched  very  narrowly  the  heads 
of  all  I killed,  in  order  to  find  this  stone;  but  I could  never  dis- 
cover any  such  thing.  Perhaps,  it  is  only  to  be  found  at  one 
season  of  the  year,  as  are  the  stones  in  the  heads  of  crawfish. 

“ There  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Cape  Europeans,”  Kolben 
goes  on  to  say,  “ a great  many  stones  called  serpent-stones  ; but 
they  are  artificial  ones.  They  are  brought  from  the  East  Indies, 
where  they  are  prepared  by  the  Bradimans,  who  are  alone,  it 
seems,  possessed  of  the  secret  of  the  composition,  and  will  not 
let  it  go  out  of  their  own  body  at  any  price.  I am  heartily 
sorry  the  secret  is  not  in  the  Christian  world,  and  that  the 
Brachmans  are  inflexible  in  this  particular,  because  those  stones 
are  of  admirable  virtues.  I saw.  one  of  them  tried  upon  a child  at 
the  Cape,  who  had  received  a poisonous  bite  in  one  of  the  arms  ; 
but  it  could  not  be  discovered  from  what  creature.  When  the 
stone  was  brought,  the  arm  was  prodigiously  swelled  and  in- 
flamed. The  stone  being  applied  to  the  wound,  stuck  to  it  very 
■closely,  without  any  manner  of  bandage  or  support,  drinking  in 
the  poison  till  it  could  receive  no  more  ; and  then  it  dropped 
off.  The  stone  was  then  laid  in  milk,  that  it  might  purge  itself 
of  the  poison  ; and  it  did  so  presently,  the  poison  turning  the 
milk  yellow.  The  stone,  as  soon  as  it  was  purged,  was  again 
applied  to  the  wound  ; and  when  it  had  drank  in  its  dose,  it  was 
again  laid  in  milk.  And  this  was  reiterated  till  such  time  as 
the  stone  had  exhausted  all  the  poison  : after  which  the  arm 
was  quickly  healed.” 

Mr.  Thunberg  also  tells  us  that  the  farmers  in  the  Cape-Colo- 
ny curejffie  bites  of  serpents,  and  of  other  venomous  reptiles, 
by  means  of  the  “ slange-steen,”  or  snake-stone.  “ It  is  import- 
ed,” he  says,  “from  the  Indies,  especially  from  Malabar,  and 
costs  several  rix-dollars.  It  is  convex  on  one  side,  of  a black 
color,  with  a pale  ash-gray  speck  in  the  middle,  and  tubulated, 
with  very  minute  pores.  When  thrown  into  water,  it  causes 

1 Turtle  blood  is  also  asserted  to  be  a good  remedy  against  wounds  caused  by 
poisoned  arrows. 


THE  SNAKE-STONE. 


239 


bubbles  to  rise,,  which  is  a proof  of  its  being  genuine:  as  it  is, 
also,  that  if  put  into  the  mouth,  it  adheres  to  the  palate.  When 
it  is  applied  to  any  part  that  has  been  bitten  by  a serpent,  it 
sticks  fast  to  the  wound,  and  extracts  the  poison  ; as  soon  as  it 
is  saturated,  it  falls  off  of  itself.  -If  it  be  then  put  into  milk,  it 
is  supposed  to  be  purified  from  the  poison  it  had  absorbed,  and 
the  milk  is  said  to  be  turned  blue  by  it.  Frequently,  however, 
the  wound  is  scarified  with  a razor,  previously  to  the  application 
of  the  stone.” 

“ This  antidote,”  says  Barrow,  when  speaking  of  the  snake- 
stone,  “ appears  to  be,  in  fact,  nothing  more  than  a piece  of  firm 
bone  of  some  animal  made  into  an  oval  shape,  and  burnt  round 
the  edges  so  as  to  leave  a whitish  spot  in  the  middle.  The 
country-people,  who  purchase  this  remedy  under  the  idea  of  its 
being  a stone  taken  out  of  the  head  of  a certain  species  of  ser- 
pent, were  very  much  astonished  on  being  told  that  it  was  only 
a piece  of  bone  ; and  the  more  so,  on  finding  that  this  substance 
stood  their  test  of  the  goodness  of  the  slange-sleen,  which  was 
that  of  throwing  out  bubbles  on  the  surface  when  immersed  in 
water.  To  the  porosity  of  the  bone  may  be  ascribed  its  healing 
qualities,  if  it  actually  possess  any ; for  which  reason,  any 
other  substance  made  up  of  capillary  tubes,  as  common  sponge, 
for  instance,  might  perhaps  be  equally  efficacious.” 

To  resume. — Our  journey  to  Rehoboth  was  unattended  with 
any  very  remarkable  incident,  and  we  reached  that  place  in 
safety,  after  an  absence  of  twenty-three  days. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  AUTHOR’S  TENT  TAKES  FIRE HE  LOSES  EVERYTHING  BUT  HIS  PAPERS 

HE  IS  LAID  ON  A BED  OF  SICKNESS — ^7 ANT  OF  MEDICINE,  ETC. RE- 
FLECTIONS  WHOLE  VILLAGES  INFECTED  WITH  FEVER ABUNDANCE  OF 

GAME EXTRAORDINARY  SHOT  AT  AN  OSTRICH A LION  BREAKFASTS  ON 

HIS  WIFE WONDERFUL  SHOOTING  STAR REMARKABLE  MIRAGE GAME 

AND  LIONS  PLENTIFUL THE  EBONY  TREE ARRIVAL  AT  BETHANY,  A 

MISSIONARY  STATION THE  TROUBLE  OF  A LARGE  HERD  OF  CATTLE 

A THIRSTY  MAN’S  COGITATION CURIOUS  SUPERSTITION THE  DAMAltA  j! 

CATTLE  DESCRIBED PEOPLE  WHO  LIVE  ENTIRELY  WITHOUT  WATER — 

CROSS  THE  ORANGE  RIVER STERILE  COUNTRY. 

The  old  adage,  “ Misfortunes  never  come  singly,”  was  exem- 
plified in  my  case.  The  wound  in  my  leg  being  now  nearly 
healed,  we  were  preparing  to  leave  Rehoboth,  when  one  even- 
ing my  hut  accidentally  caught  fire,  and  being  entirely  con- 
structed of  dry  grass  and  sticks,  it  was  burnt  to  the  ground  be- 
fore anything  of  moment  could  be  saved.  By  rushing  through 
the  flames,  however,  I fortunately  succeeded  in  preserving  the 
greater  part  of  my  papers  and  memoranda,  which  to  me  were 
invaluable.  I also  rescued  my  saddle;  but,  in  so  doing,  my 
clothes  took  fire,  and  I had  a very  narrow  escape  from  being 
burnt  to  death.  A shirt,  a pair  of  trowsers,  a cap,  and  a pair  of 
undcr-dove  shoes,  which  had  not  been  long  enough  at  the  fire  to 
be  thoroughly  roasted,  were  all  that  was  left  to  me.  My  situa- 
tion, consequently,  was  not  very  enviable.  Through  the  kind- 
ness of  Messrs.  Kleinschmidt  and  Vollmer,  however,  I was  once 
more  enabled  to  appear  decently  appareled.  , 

But  I was  soon  destined  to  experience  a greater  calamity.  A 
few  stages  south  of  Rehoboth,  which  we  left  on  the  22nd  of 


THE  AUTHOR  IS  SEIZED  WITH  FEVER.  241 

Apal,  en  route  to  the  Cape,  and  while  encamped  on  the  banks  of 
the  Hountop,  I was  attacked  by  intermittent  fever,  which 
quickly  carried  me  to  the  verge  of  the  grave.  My  sufferings 
and  privations  during  this  period  were  indeed  severe.  Regu- 
larly every  morning  at  eleven  o’clock  I was  seized  with  a vio- 
lent shivering  fit,  which  lasted  three  hours.  Then  came  the 
fever,  of  almost  as  long  duration,  accompanied  by  racking  head- 
ache and  profuse  perspiration.  After  this,  my  head  was  tolera- 
bly free  from  pain  ; but  I was  so  completely  exhausted,  that  to 
turn  in  my  bed  was  a laborious  effort.  The  climate,  moreover, 
at  this  season,  was  very  trying  ; for,  whilst  the  days  were  mode- 
rately warm  (the  thermometer  averaging  65°  at  noon),  the 
nights  were  piercingly  cold  and  frosty.  At  sunrise,  the  ice  was 
from  an  eighth  part  of  an  inch  to  one  inch  thick.  I became 
very  sensitive  to  these  changes,  inasmuch  as,  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  illness,  I was  compelled  to  sleep  in  the  open  air, 
having  previously  disposed  of  our  wagons  to  the  natives.  What 
little  medicine  I once  possessed,  was  consumed  in  the  recent 
conflagration  ; and  the  missionaries — owing  to  the  fever  having 
broken  out  most  alarmingly  among  themselves  and  the  natives — 
were  unable  to  spare  me  any.  To  add  to  my  misfortunes, 
no  suitable  food  was  procurable.  Milk  and  meat  were  my 
only  diet.  The  latter  I could  not  digest,  and  the  former 
soon  became  insipid  to  my  taste.  The  men,  it  is  true,-  had 
once  the  good  fortune  to  surprise  an  ostrich  in  its  nest,  but  the 
eggs  were  too  rich  and  heavy  for  my  weak  stomach. 

Up  to  this  period,  my  busy  and  roving  life  had  left  me  but 
little  time  for  serious  reflection.  Now,  however,  that  the  cares 
of  the  world  no  longer  occupied  my  thoughts,  I felt  the  full 
force  of  my  lonely  situation.  During  the  long  and  sleepless 
nights,  I was  often  seized  with  an  indescribable  sensation  of  sad- 
ness and  melancholy.  Death  itself  I did  not  fear  ; but  to  perish 
in  a foreign  land,  in  the  midst  of  strangers,  far  away  from  all  I 
loved,  was  an  idea  to  which  I could  hardly  reconcile  myself 
What  hand  would  close  my  eyes  '?  what  mourner  would  follow 
my  coffin  ? or  what  friend  would  shed  a tear  on  my  lonely  and 
distant  grave  ? 

I was  alone!  Oh,  may  the  reader  never  experience  the  full 
meaning  of  that  melancholy  word  ! 

After  upwards  of  two  months  of  no  ordinary  sufferings, 
my  strong  constitution  prevailed,  and  I was  convalescent; 
but  several  weeks  elapsed  before  I recovered  my  usual  health 
and  vigor. 

John  Aller  was  also  seriously  ill  from  the  same  malady 


242 


EXTRAORDINARY  SHOT  AT  AN  OSTRICH. 


which  had  the  character  of  an  epidemic;  for,  in  a very  short 
time,  it  spread  like  wild-fire  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  Great  Namaqua-land,  and  vast  numbers  of  people  suc- 
cumbed under  it.  The  disease,  indeed,  was  of  so  destructive  a 
nature,  that  it  swept  oft*  whole  villages.  In  one  kraal  in  par- 
ticular, all  the  inhabitants  perished,  and  the  cattle  were  left  to 
take  care  of  themselves. 

Fever  (the  cause  of  which  is  unknown)  is  not  common  in 
these  parts,  and  makes  it  appearance  only  occasionally. 

We  had  pitched  our  tent,  as  already  said,  near  the  Ilouutop 
river.  The  country  thereabout  was  a succession  of  vleys  or 
gullies,  then  filled  with  excellent  clear  water,  teeming  with  wa- 
ter-fowl. Quails,  birds  of  the  grouse  tribe,  and  wood-pigeons, 
were  also  numerous.  Of  the  larger  animals  we  had  the  zebra, 
the  springbok,  the  ostrich,  and  an  occasional  oryx  and  harte- 
beest ; but,  from  their  being  much  persecuted  by  the  natives, 
combined  with  nakedness  of  the  country,  they  were  extremely 
wary  and  difficult  of  approach. 

Game  of  many  kinds  being  thus  abundant,  it  may  well  be 
supposed  that,  as  soon  as  my  strength  permitted  me  to  carry  a 
gun,  I at  once  took  the  field,  as  well  for  amusement,  as  for  the 
purpose  of  replenishing  our  larder,  which  was  but  very  ill-sup- 
plied. 

One  day  I made  a capital  shot  at  an  ostrich,  which,  wher 
running  at  full  speed,  I brought  down  at  the  long  distance  of 
two  hundred  and  thirty  paces.  On  a previous  occasion  I killed 
one  of  these  splendid  birds  when  upwards  of  three  hundred 
paces  from  me. 

Another  day  I had  the  good  fortune  to  shoot  a rhinoceros. 
He  was  probably  a straggler ; for  these  animals  have  long  since 
disappeared  from  the  part  of  the  country  where  we  were  then 
encamped — and,  indeed,  are  now  very  rarely  to  be  met  with 
south  of  the  Kuisip  river. 

Early  one  morning,  one  of  our  herdsmen  came  running  up  to 
us  in  great  fright,  and  announced  that  a lion  was  devouring  a 
lioness!  We  thought,  at  first,  that  the  man- must  be  mistaken; 
but  his  story  was  perfectly  true,  and  only  her  skull,  the  larger 
bones,  and  the  skin,  were  left.  On  examining  the  ground  more 
closely,  the  fresh  remains  of  a young  springbok  were  also  dis- 
covered. We  therefore  conjectured  that  the  lion  and  lioness  being 
very  hungry,  and  the  antelope  not  proving  a sufficient  meal  for 
Doth,  they  had  quarreled  ; and  he,  after  killing  his  wife,  had 
coolly  eaten  her  also.  A most  substantial  breakfast  it  must 
have  been  ! 


SHOOTING  STA  R M IBAGE. 


24  -S 

On  onlv  one  other  occasion  have  I known  lions  to  prey  on 
each  other.  This  was  when  on  my  way  to  Lake  Ngami.  On  a 
certain  night,  we  had  badly  wounded  a lion.  He  retreated 
growlingly  into  the  bush,  and  immediately  afterwards  a whole 
troop  of  lions  rushed  upon  their  disabled  brother  and  tore  him 
to  pieces. 

A singular  and  interesting  atmospheric  phenomenon  occurred 
at  Hountop.  Between  seven  and  eight  o’clock  in  the  evening 
of  the  24th  of  June,  when  reading  by  the  side  of  my  bivouac 
lire,  I was  suddenly  startled  by  the  whole  atmosphere  becoming 
brilliantly — nay,  almost  painfully — illuminated.  On  turning 
to  the  quarter  of  the  heavens  whence  this  radiance  proceeded,  I 
discovered  a most  magnificent  shooting  star,  passing  slowly,  in  an 
oblique  direction,  through  space, with  an  immense  tail  attached 
to  it,  and  emitting  sparks  of  dazzling  light.  The  fire  by  which  I 
sat  was  exceedingly  bright,  and  the  moon  clear  and  brilliant;  yet 
they  were  both  totally  eclipsed  by  this  immense  body  of  light. 

Its  great  beauty  and  brilliancy  might,  perhaps,  be  best  real- 
ized, by  saying  that  it  was  like  a star  of  the  second  or  third 
order  when  compared  to  the  moon  at  full. 

After  a time,  the  pasturage  being  nearly  exhausted  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Hountop,  we  removed  our  camp  a few 
miles  southward,  to  another  periodical  river  called  the  Aam- 
houp.  During  our  stay  here,  we  observed  some  very  striking 
and  singular  horizontal  refractions  of  the  air.  Once  I saw  an 
ostrich  walking  on  the  horizon  line,  whilst  its  double — clear  and 
well  defined — appeared  immediately  above  it.  Both  the  os- 
trich and  its  double,  moreover,  were  divided  into  three  different 
portions  by  as  many  different  strata  of  air. 

Again,  regularly  every  morning,  for  nearly  a month , the  pro- 
jecting ledge  of  a rock  was  converted  into  the  semblance  of  a 
splendid  and  embattled  castle.  As  the  atmosphere  became  uni- 
formly heated,  the  mirage  melted  away  into  a soft,  watery 
haze. 

In  usual  refractions,  the  inverted  image  of  an  object  generally 
appears  above  the  object  itself ; but  occasionally  the  effect  is 
reversed.  Captain  Scoresby,  the  well-known  Arctic  navigator, 
once  by  these  means  discovered  his  father’s  vessel  the  day 
before  it  actually  came  in  sight. 

It  has  long  puzzled  the  learned  to  account  for  the  mirage. 
I believe,  however,  it  is  now  pretty  well  known  to  arise  from 
the  unequal  density  and  temperature  of  the  lower  strata  of 
air. 

The  abundance  of  good  water  and  pasturage  had  enabled  our 


24.4  SAME  AND  LIONS  NUMEROUS BETHANY 


cattle  to  get  into  excellent  condition  ; and  as  the  season  was 
now  far  advanced,  and  I was  sufficiently  well  to  travel,  we 
deemed  it  necessary  to  move  slowly  on  towards  the  Cape- 
Colony.  Accordingly,  on  the  9th  of  July,  we  left  our  camp  on 
the  Aamhoup — a place  where  we  had  experienced  both  misery 
and  happiness. 

Our  course  lay  along,  and  at  the  foot  of,  a very  picturesque 
range  of  table  hills,  averaging  about  one  thousand  feet  in 
height  To  the  westward  were  also  mountains  of  a similar 
nature,  but  less  regular.  They  were  of  the  trap  formation,  and 
consisted  chiefly  of  limestone. 

Water  continued  for  a time  to  be  tolerably  abundant,  but 
pasturage  began  soon  to  fail  us.  Two  causes  were  to  be  as- 
signed for  this — namely,  the  devastation  of  the  locusts,  and  the 
inferior  quality  of  the  soil,  which  became  stony,  interspersed 
here  and  there  with  ridges  of  sand. 

Amongst  the  latter,  we  encountered  herds  of  gemsboks,  and 
troops  of  lions  following  on  their  scent.  The  mere  sight  of  the 
tracks  of  the  latter  frightened  a friend,  with  whom  I was 
traveling,  almost  out  of  his  wits.  We  were  riding  in  advance 
of  our  cattle  at  the  time,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I could 
prevent  him  from  returning  with  precipitation. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  we  arrived  in  the  neighborhood  of 
another  Rhenish  missionary  station,  called  Bethany  Here  we 
met  with  the  ebony-tree,  of  which  I had  only  before  seen  a few 
stragglers  in  the  Swakop  river,  near  the  Usab  gorge.  Hence, 
on  to  the  Orange  river,  this  tree  became  more  or  less  abundant ; 
but  it  was  stunted  and  gnarled.  Our  bivouac  fires  usually  con-; 
sisted  of  its  wood. 

Whilst  Hans  and  the  men  were  busy  preparing  our  food  and 
camp  for  the  night,  I strolled  on  to  the  station,  which  I found! 
deserted  by  every  living  creature.  Only  a short  time  pre- 
viously, the  Rev.  Mr.  Knudsen  officiated  here,  but  had  been 
obliged  to  leave  on  account  of  some  disagreement  with  the  native; 
tribe  and  its  chief,  David  Christian.  It  had  always  been  con- 
sidered as  inferior  to  most  of  the  other  missionary  stations  in  this 
part  of  Africa  ; but,  what  with  the  absence  of  the  inhabitants, 
the  devastation  of  the  locust,  which  had  destroyed  every  par- 
ticle of  vegetation — and  the  black  and  parched  appearance  of  the 
soil,  it  now  looked  wild  and  dreary  in  the  extreme.  The 
lengthened  shadows  of  evening  threw  an  additional  gloom  over 
this  once  busy  scene  of  cheerful  industry.  Oh,  changes,  mys- 
terious and  incomprehensible  ! Surely,  God,  in  his  infinite 
wisdom,  will  not  permit  the  handy-work  of  his  servants,  raised 


TROUBLE  ATTENDANT  ON  A HERD  OF  CATTLE.  245 

only  by  years  of  perseverance,  toil,  and  privations,  to  perish 
without  some  recompense ! 

Bethany,  if  I am  not  mistaken,  became  a scene  of  missionary 
labor  as  early  as  1820.  The  enterprising  and  venerable  Mr. 
Schmelen  then  officiated  here,  but  he  found  it  necessary,  after  a 
time,  to  abandon  the  place.  Subsequently  to  his  departure,  it 
remained  deserted  for  upwards  of  twenty  years,  when,  in  .1843, 
it  was  once  more  tenanted,  and  at  this  time  by  Mr.  Knudsen, 
who,  in  his  turn,  as  seen  above,  was  obliged  to  move  off  else- 
where. 

After  leaving  Bethany,  water  and  pasturage  became  every 
day  more  scarce.  All  the  vleys  and  pools  of  rain-water  were 
dried  up.  The  Koanquip  river,  however,  long  befriended  us, 
as  in  its  bed  we  generally  managed  to  obtain  a supply  of  grass 
and  water  for  our  cattle,  which  now  amounted  to  several 
hundred  head. 

But  the  labor  and  fatigue  of  watering  the  latter  was  immense. 
No  person  who  has  not  been  circumstanced  as  we  were,  can 
form  the  least  conception  of  the  trouble,  care,  and  anxiety,  that 
a large  drove  of  cattle  occasions.  Perhaps,  when,  after  having 
dug  for  twenty  consecutive  hours — and  this  I have  done  more  than 
once — the  water  is  found  insufficient  in  quantity,  or  (which  is 
almost  as  bad)  the  ground  falls  in,  or  the  cattle  themselves 
spoi  1 it  by  their  wallowing  and  excrement. 

These  native  cattle  are  the  most  troublesome  and  disgusting 
brutes  possible  ; for,  after  having  spoiled  the  water  by  their  own, 
wildness  and  wantonness,  they  rush  furiously  about  bellow- 
ing and  moaning.  It  is  enough  to  discourage  the  stoutest 
heart. 

When  arriving  at  a place  where  we  supposed  water  was  to 
be  found,  the  plan  usually  adopted,  in  order  to  guard  against 
the  cattle  destroying  our  work,  was  to  send  them  away  to  pas- 
ture. In  the  mean  time,  every  available  man  went  speedily  to 
work  with  such  implements  as  were  procurable  : spades, 
wooden  troughs,  pieces  of  wood  or  of  bark,  were  indifferently 
put  in  requisition ; and  even  our  hands  were  used  with  great 
effect,  though  not  without  sustaining  injury.  Having  worked 
the  aperture  of  sufficient  depth  and  width,  it  was  fenced  in  by 
thorn-bushes,  leaving  only  a single  entrance.  The  oxen  were 
then  sent  for,  and  allowed  to  approach  singly  or  in  greater  num- 
ber, according  to  the  extent  of  the  water.  Sometimes,  however, 
if  the  nature  of  the  ground  did  not  permit  the  cattle  to  have 
access  to  the  water,  a hollow  was  scooped  in  the  earth,  near 
the  idge  of  the  pit,  into  which  (or  into  a piece  of  sail-cloth,  if 


246 


A TH1KSTT  MAN  S COGITATIONS. 


at  hand)  the  water  was  poured  by  means  of  small  wooden  pails, 
usually  denominated  “ bamboos.” 

Owing  to  this  tedious  process,  coupled  with  the  slowness 
with  which  water  filters  through  sand,  and  the  immense  quan- 
tity (usually  five  to  six  buckets  full)  that  a thirsty  ox  will 
drink,  and  the  quarrelsome  disposition  of  the  animals  them- 
selves— watering  four  hundred  head  of  cattle  will  often  occupy  a 
whole  day  or  night.  And,  since  a person  is  in  a great  degree 
dependent  on  his  cattle,  whether  for  food,  draught,  etc.,  he, 
himself,  must  never  think  of  refreshment  or  rest  until  their 
wants  have  been  provided  for. 

The  scarcity  of  water,  and  the  uncertainty  of  finding  it,  in 
these  parched  regions,  is  so  great,  that,  when  after  a long  day’s 
journey  the  anxiously-looked-for  pooi  is  found  to  be  dry,  it  is 
almost  enough  to  drive  a man  mad,  especially  if  he  be  a stranger 
to  the  country,  and  unaccustomed  to  traversing  the  African 
wilds.  One’s  cogitations  at  such  times  are  apt  to  be  something 
to  the  following  effect  : — “ If  I advance  and  do  not  find  water 
within  a certain  period,  it  will  be  inevitable  destruction.  To 
retrace  my  steps  to  the  last  watering-place,  is  not  to  be  thought 
of,  as,  from  the  distance  and  the  exhausted  state  of  the  cattle,  it 
would  never  be  reached.  What  remains  for  me  but  to  lie  down 
and  die  ?” 

The  common  people  at  the  Cape  entertain  a notion,  that 
cattle  refrain  from  feeding  only  once  within  the  year — namely, 
on  Christmas-eve.  Then,  it  is  affirmed,  they  fall  on  their  knees, 
and,  with  closed  mouths  and  half-shut  eyes  (a  sign  of  placidity) 
silently  thank  the  Giver  of  all  good  things  for  the  grass  and 
water  they  ha.ve  enjoyed  during  the  past  twelve  months.  They 
say,  moreover,  that  a person  may  witness  this  act  of  devotion, 
by  keeping  well  to  leeward  and  out  of  sight  of  the  animals.1 

Our  cattle  consisted  chiefly  of  the  Damara-breed,  which,  so; 
far  as  I am  aware,  differs  widely  from  any  found  in  Europe. 
They  are  big-boned,  but  not  particularly  weighty  ; their  legs 
are  slender,  and  they  have  small,  hard,  and  durable  feet.  The 
hair  on  the  body  is  short,  smooth,  and  glossy,  and  the  extremity 
of  the  tail  is  adorned  with  a tuft  of  long,  bushy  hair,  nearly 
touching  the  ground.  This  tuft  constitutes  the  chief  ornament 
of  the  Damara  assegai. 

1 This  superstition  is  common  in  Devonshire,  in  the  western  parts  of  which  it 
used,  till  lately,  to  be  affirmed,  “ that  at  twelve  o’clock  at  night  on  Christmas-eve 
the  oxen  in  their  stalls  are  always  found  on  their  knees  in  an  attitude  of  devotion ; 
and  that,  since  the  alteration  of  the  style,  they  continue  to  do  this  only  on  the 
eve  of  old  Christmas-day.”  Bravo,  oxen  ! — ( See  Brand’s  “ Popular  Antiquities.")  j! 


ENORMOUS  HORNS. 


247 


But  the  horns  are  the  most  remarkable  feature  in  the  Damara 
:attle.  They  are  usually  placed  on  the  head  at  an  angle  of  from 
orty-five  to  ninety  degrees,  and  are  at  times  beautifully  arched 
nd' twisted,  but  rarely  bent  inwards.  They  are  of  an  incredi- 
ble length ; and  one  often  meets  with  oxen,  the  tips  of  whose 
10ms  are  from  seven  to  eight  feet  apart. 


SKULL  OF  A BECHUANA  OX. 


The  Bechuana  cattle  (of  greater  bulk  and  stouter  proportions) 
eemeven  to  surpass  the  Damara  cattle  in  this  respect.  Amongst 
nany  other  curious  and  interesting  objects,  there  is  now  in  the 
oilection  of  Colonel  Thomas  Steel,  of  Upper  Brook-street,  a 
>erfect  cranium  of  a young  Bechuana  ox,1  of  which  the  wood- 
ut  is  a fair  representation.  The  following  are  its  dimen- 
ions  : — 


Entire  length  of  horns  from  tip  to  tip  along  the  curve  . 13ft.  Sin. 

Distance  (straight)  between  the  tips  of  the  horns  . .8  8$ 

Circumference  of  horns  at  the  root  . . . .16^ 

Breadth  of  cranium  between  the  eyes  . . . 9 9^ 

Length  “ ....  2 2 


But  I have  been  told  on  good  authority,  that  in  some  parts 
f Africa  horns  of  cattle  are  found  greatly  to  exceed  the  above 
imensions.  The  horns,  indeed,  are  of  so  enormous  a size,  as 
eriouslv  to  inconvenience  the  animal.  Their  length  and  weight 
'ave  been  known  to  be  so  great  as  to  twist  the  head  to  one  side 
’-one  of  the  horns  dragging  on  the  ground,  whilst  the  other 
ointed  upwards. 

The  Damaras  prize  their  oxen  in  proportion  to  the  size  of 
leir  horns.  Some  African  tribes  take  much  pains  in  forming 
lem  of  a certain  shape.  This  is  effected  either  by  sawing  off 

1 This  remarkable  beast  was  a long  time  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Oswell,  who, 
believe,  intended  to  bring  it  alive  to  England,  but  unavoidable  circumstances 
■evented  this  distinguished,  traveler  from  carrying  his  plan  into  execution. 

-- 


248 


NATIVES  fONO  'F  UNIFORM  TEAMS. 


the  tips,  splitting  them,  bending  them  forcibly  when  yet  tender 
and  so  forth. 

The  Damara  cow  is  of  slender  proportions  and  very-  wild 
Before  she  can  he  milked,  it  is  always  needful  to  lash  her  hear 
to  a tree,  in  like  manner  as  the  Laplanders  treat  their  rein- 
deer, or  to  tie  her  hind  legs  together.  The  best  cow  rarely 
gives  more  than  two  or  three  pints  of  milk  daily;  and  should 
her  call  die,  or  be  taken  from  her,  she  absolutely  refuses  to  give 
any  at  all,  in  which  case  it  is  necessary  to  resort  to  artificia 
means.  One  plan  is  to  stuff  a calf-skin  with  hay  or  grass,  and 
afterwards  place  it  on  the  ground  for  the  cow  to  slobber  over 
Sometimes  the  adoption  of  the  latter  expedient  gives  rise  to 
ludicrous  scenes  ; for  the  cow,  when  tenderly  caressing'  her  sup 
posed  offspring,  has  all  at  once  got  scent  of  the  hay  or  grass 
when,  thrusting  her  snout  into  the  skin,  she  has  greedily  de 
voured  its  contents ! 

The  Damaras,  as  well  as  other  nations,  take  great  delight  it 
having  whole  droves  of  cattle  of  the  same  color.  The  Narfta 
quas  has  a perfect  mania  for  a uniform  team.  Bright  brown  ii 
the  favorite  color ; and  1 myself  have  always  found  beasts  of 
this  hue  to  be  the  strongest  and  most  generally  serviceable 
Dark  brown  oxen  with  a yellowish  streak  along  the  back — by 
the  Dutch  designated  “ geel-bak” — are  also  usually  stout  am 
enduring.  Yellow,  and  more  especially  white,  oxen  are  consid 
ered  weak  and  unable  to  bear,  much  fatigue  or  hardship. 

The  Damaras,  as  with  almost  every  other  people  of  Souther: 
Africa,  value  their  cattle  next  to  their  women,  and  take  a prid 
in  possessing  animals  that  look  high  bred.  The  ox,  in  fact 
forms  the  chief  theme  of  the  songs  of  the  Damaras.  They,  more 
over,  rarely  or  never  make  use  of  a handsome  animal  as  a beasj 
of  burden,  but  employ  quiet,  ugly  bulls  for  such  purpose;. 
These  have  a buffalo  look  about  them,  and  their  horns,  more 
over,  rarely  attain  to  any  size. 

From  their  quick  step,  good  feet,  and  enduring  powers,  th 
Damara  cattle  are  much  prized  by  the  farmers  of  the  Cape-Cob 
ny.  The  only  drawback  is  their  wildness,  and  immense  size  a 
their  horns,  which  they  sometimes  use  with  fatal  effect. 

The  day  before  we  reached  the  Orange  river,  we  fell  in  wit 
a kraal  of  Hottentots,  whom,  to  our  great  surprise,  we  four 
living  in  a locality  altogether  destitute  of  water  ! The  milk  o 
their  cows  and  goats  supplied  its  pdace.  Their  cattle,  more 
over  never  obtained  water,  but  found  a substitute  in  a kind  o, 
ice  plant  (mesembryanthemum)  of  an  exceedingly  succulent,  natur 
which  abounds  in  these  regions.  But  our  own  oxen,  not  accu 


MEN  AND  CATTLE  LIVE  WITHOUT  WATER.  249 


tomed  to  such  diet,  would  rarely  or  never  touch  it.  Until  I 
had  actually  convinced  myself — as  I had  often  the  opportunity 
of  doing  at  an  after  period — that  men  and  beasts  could  live  en- 
tirely without  water,  1 should,  perhaps,  have  had  some  difficulty 
n realizing  this  singular  fact. 

On  the  21st  of  August,  we  effected  the  passage  of  the  Orange 
river  in  safety,  at  what  is  called  the  Zedlings  Drift,  or  the 
(missionary  ford.  We  had  no  boat ; and  those  of  the  men  who 
i bo  ild  not  swim  were  obliged  to  lay  hold  of  the  tails  of  the  cattle, 
:o  which  they  pertinaciously  clung.  On  gaining  the  oppo- 
site bank,  which  was  very  steep,  the  oxen,  in  climbing  it, 
entirely  submerged  their  charge,  to  the  great  delight  and 
iimusement  of  such  of  their  companions  as  had  landed  at  a more 
convenient  point. 

The  Orange  river  was  at  this  season  almost  at  its  lowest,  yet 
t was  a noble  and  highly  picturesque  stream.  Looking  east- 
vards,  its  aspect  was  particularly  imposing.  Its  breadth  at  tins 
mint  might  have  been  from  two  to  three  hundred  yards.  The 
ianks  were  on  both  sides  lined  with  evergreen  thorns,  drooping 
villows,  ebony  trees,  etc.;  and  the  water  forced  its  passage 
dirough  a bold  and  striking  gorge,  overhung  by  precipices  from 
wo  to  three  thousand  feet  high.  But  the  country  all  round 
vas  desolate.  The  hills,  which  at  some  distant  period  had 
evidently  been  subject  to  volcanic  eruptions,  had  a sunburnt, 
md  crumbling  appearance,  and  were  almost  wholly  destitute  of 
/egetation.  The  soil  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  mountains 
consisted  of  pure  sand,  and  was  covered  with  low  and  succulent 
Shrubs,  from  which  our  cattle,  hitherto  accustomed  to  revel  in 
die  almost  boundless  savannahs  of  Damara-land,  turned  with 
lisgust.  The  country  for  several  weeks’  journey  in  advance  of 
is  was  represented  as  of  a similar  nature. 

We  began  now  seriously  to  tremble  for  the  poor  beasts,  which 
lad  already  lost  flesh.  Upwards  of  two  months’  traveling  had 
o be  performed  before  we  could  reach  our  destination. 

With  the  exception  of  that  portion  of  Namaquadand  and 
Damara-land  bordering  on  the  coast,  the  part  of  the  country  I 
peak  of  has  the  most  inauspicious  appearance  I ever  saw.  Its 
sterility  arises  probably  from  being  situated  near  the  limit,  not 
mly  of  the  “thunder-rains,”  but  of  the  regular  rains  (“mist- 
•ains,”  as  they  are  called  in  the  colony),  and  the  consequent 
requency  of  great  droughts.  Indeed,  scarcely  any  rain  falls 
lere  in  some  years. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

GREAT  NAMAQUA-LAND ITS  BOUNDARIES  AND  EXTENT ITS  RIVER! 

NATURE  OF  THE  COUNTRY VEGETATION  AND  CLIMATE GEOLOGItil 

STRUCTURE MINERALS “ TOPNAARS  ” AND  “ OERLAMS  ” HOUSES — J 

THOLOGY  AND  RELIGION— TUMULI WONDERFUL  ROCK CURIOUS  LEG!' 

OF  THE  HARE COMING  OF  AGE THE  WITCH-DOCTOR AMULETS SUP 

STITIONS A NAMAQUA’S  NOTION  OF  THE  SUN MARRIAGE POLYGA 

CHILDREN BARBAROUS  PRACTICE LONGEVITY SINGULAR  CUSTOM,- j 

ORNAMENTS TATTOOING ARMS IDLE  HABITS FOND  OF  AMUSEMENT, c' 

MUSIC  AND  DANCING -SPIRITS MEAD DOMESTIC  ANIMALS. 

Having  now  brought  my  narrative  to  a period  when  I i 
about  to  leave  Great  Namaqua-land,  it  may  be  well  to  say 
few  words  of  this  country,  its  inhabitants,  their  manners  a 
customs,  etc. 

The  portion  of  Africa  known  as  Namaqua-land  is  divided  it 
two  distinct  parts,  viz.,  Little  and  Great  Namaqua-land. 
the  former  is  understood  the  territory  (now  British)  betwt 
the  Orange  river  and  about  the  31st  degree  of'  latitude  on  1 
south.  By  the  latter,  the  country  between  the  last-named  rh 
and  Damara-land,  its  eastern  boundary  being  the  Kalah! 
desert;  whilst  on  the  west  it  is  washed  by  the  billows  of  ( 
Atlantic  ocean. 

Great  Namaqua-land  covers  a surface  of  no  less  than  one  hi; 
dred  and  twelve  thousand  geographical  square-miles,1  with,  pjljj 
bably,  a population  of  scarcely  thirty  thousand  souls,  or  I 
than  four  persons  to  the  square-mile.  Excepting  the  gn 

1 Or  about  148,000  English  square  miles.  The  area  of  Damara-land  is  all 
29,000  English  square  miles. 


GREAT  NAMAQUA-LAN  D C UMATE. 


2t,L 


Sahara  itself,  there  is,  perhaps,  not  a country  in  the  world,  of 
equal  extent,  so  scantily  peopled,  so  destitute  of  water,  so  dismal, 
and  so  generally  barren  and  useless.  It  is  truly  a “ region  of 
curses.” 

The  coast-line  of  Great  Namaqua-land,  like  that  of  Damara- 
land,  consists  of  a dreary,  sandy  waste,  extending  in  places  from 
thirty  to  forty  miles  into  the  interior — -in  others  to  a hundred  or 
more — and  is,  with  very  few  exceptions,  uninhabitable. 

Some  of  the  rivers,  such  as  the  Ivuisip,  and  others  of  little 
importance,  empty  themselves  into  the  Atlantic  ; but  the  larger 
portion  run  in  an  easterly  direction,  and  are  chiefly  tributaries 
to  the  Fish  river.  This  remarkable  water-course,  which  takes 
its  rise  in  the  most  northerly  limit  of  Great  Namaqua-land, 
finally  joins  the  Orange  river  about  three  or  four  days’  journey 
from  where  the  latter  finds  an  outlet  into  the  sea — thus  inter- 
secting the  country  throughout  its  entire  length. 

Great  Namaqua-land  is  characterized  by  immense  sandy  plains, 
traversed  by  hill  and  rock,  and  thickly  strewn  with  quartz, 
which  reflects  a dazzling  and  perplexing  light.  Two  to  three 
days’  journey  south  of  RehoSoth,  the  dense  thorny  bush,  so 
peculiar  to  Damara-land,  ceases,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  mimosas  along  the  water-courses,  and  occasional  ebony-trees, 
the  arboreous  vegetation  is  scanty  and  stunted.  For  more  than 
six  months  of  the  year,  it  is  scorched  by  an  almost  vertical  sun. 
The  rains,  which  are  always  accompanied  by  heavy  thunder,  are 
periodical  and  very  partial.  In  its  northern  portion,  the  wet 
season  sets  in  at  the  same  time  as  in  Damara-land  ; but  m a 
southerly  direction,  the  rains  are  later  and  more  uncertain  ; and, 
as  has  been  said  in  the  last  chapter,  little  or  none  falls  about 
the  lower  course  of  the  Orange  river  and  the  neighborhood. 
The  springs  (which  are  often  either  hot  or  salt)  are  indifferent 
and  scantily  distributed.  The  periodical  water-courses,  there- 
fore, aflord  the  chief  supply. 

The  Ngmaquas,  as  well  as  the  Damaras,  are  loud  in  their 
complaints  that  less  rain  falls  now  than  half  a century  back. 
Indeed,  the  numerous  ancient  beds  of  rivers  in  the  vast  sandy 
plains,  and  the  deeply-scored  slopes  and  sides  of  the  n@w  “sun- 
burnt” and  crumbling  hills,  clearly  indicate  that  almost  the 
whole  country  north  of  the  Orange  river,  as  far  as  Europeans 
have  penetrated  from  the  Cape  side,  has,  at  some  former  period, 
been  much  more  abundantly  watered.  In  some  parts,  the  de- 
struction of  forests,  which  aTe  well  known  to  retain  and  condense 
vapory  particles,  may  partly  account  for  such  atmospheric 
changes  ; but  in  this  region  we  must  look  for  other  causes. 


252  MINERALS TOPNAARS  AND  OERLAMS. 

In  a geological  point  of  view,  Great  Namaqua-land  presents 
many  interesting  features.  Between  the  Orange  river  and 
Walfisch  Bay,  beginning  at  the  sea-side,  three  distinct  terrace- 
like risings  of  the  country  are  recognized.  Besides  the  granite, 
which  is  the  prevailing  rock,  great  masses  of  quartz  are  met 
with,  either,  as  aforesaid,  scattered  over  its  surface,  or  filling 
up  the  large  gaps  aud  fissures  occasioned  by  ancient  eruptions. 
Iron  and  sandstone,  and  slate  formations,  are  also  not  uncom- 
mon. 

At  some  remote  period,  this  land  must  have  been  subjected 
to  volcanic  agencies  ; and  though  not  one  of  these  has  taken 
place  in  the  memory  of  the  present  generation,  rumbling  noises 
underground  and  tremors  of  the  earth  are  of  frequent  occurrence. 
The  existence  of  hot  water  springs ; the  confusion  of  the  fan- 
tastically and  curiously-shaped  hills — “ the  strata  bending  and 
dipping  from  the  perpendicular  to  the  horizontal,  and  in  others 
extending  in  a straight  line  from  one  hill  to  another” — bear 
ample  testimony  to  its  volcanic  nature.  The  presence,  more- 
over, of  vast  quantities  of  minerals  is  a further  evidence  of  its 
igneous  character.  Tin,  lead,  iron,  and  copper  ore  is  often  met 
with.  I have  had  specimens  of  the  latter  mineral  in  my  posses- 
sion containing  from  forty  to  ninety  per  cent,  of  pure  metal. 
At  eight  to  ten  days’  journey  with  “ ox  wagon,”  east  of  the 
missionary  station,  Bethany,  meteoric  iron  is  found  in  apparently 
inexhaustible  quantities.  I have  seen  lumps,  of  several  hundred 
weights,  brought  from  thence,  so  pure  and  malleable  that  the 
natives  converted  it  into  balls  for  their  guns,  etc.,  without  any 
previous  application  of  fire.  As  Great  Namaqua-land  becomes 
better  known,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  it  will  be  found 
equally  prolific  in  minerals — if  not  more  so — as  Little  Nama- 
qua-land, where,  of  late,  extensive  and  valuable  mines  have  been 
brought  to  light. 

The  term  Hottentot,  and  Namaqua,  have  probably  originated 
with  Europeans,  since  neither  is  found  in  the  native  language. 
The  Hottentots  of  these  regions  may  be  divided  in  two  great 
branches,  viz.,  the  “Topnaars,”  and  the  “ Oerlams.”  With  the 
latter  is  generally  understood  the  new-comers,  and  the  semi- 
civilized  ; but  the  real  signification  of  the  term  is  doubtful. 
Some  conjecture  the  “ Oerlam”  to  be  a corruption  ot  the  Dutch 
word  “ o’erland,”  or  overland,  that  is,  people  who  have  come 
overland.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  Namaqua-Hottentots  consider 
it  a compliment  to  be  addressed  as  “ Oerlam.”  “ Topnaar,”  on 
the  other  hand,  signifies  the  First,  the  Highest,  the  Great,  or 
those  who  originally  inhabited  Great  Namaqua-land,  and  they 


TRIBE  S H OUSE  S M Y X HOLOGY  — R ELIGION.  253 

view  with  considerable  jealousy  the  progress  and  superiority 
of  the  “ Oerlains,”  whom  they  justly  consider  as  intruders. 

The  northern  Namaquas  are  divided  into  numerous  tribes,, 
each  under  petty  chiefs.  Tiie  principal  of  these  are  Jonker 
Afrikaner,  Cornelius,  Amral,  Zwartbooi,  Jan  Boois,  William 
Fransman,  Paul  Goliath,  David  Christian,  and  Boudel  Zwartz. 

The  Namaquas  dwell  in  small,  round  huts,  made  on  the  same- 
principle  as  those  of  the  Damaras,  and  covered  with  mats  com- 
posed of  rushes,  which  are  prepared  in  the  following  manner  : — 
A quantity  of  the  inner  bark  of  the  mimosa  is  collected  and 
dried.  When  wanted  for  immediate  use,  the  required  portion 
is  put  into  hot  water  and  softened.  Each  member  of  the 
family  then  fills  his  mouth  with  as  much  of  tbs  fibre  as  it  can 
hold,  and  chews  it  until  it  becomes  quite  pliable,  when  it  is  at 
once  converted  into  strings  by  the  rude  process  of  twisting  it  on 
the  naked  leg.  A large  quantity  is  in  this  manner  manufac- 
tured in  an  incredibly  short  time.  The  rushes  are  then  cut  to 
the  desired  length,  and  laid  out  on  the  ground  singly,  and  in  a 
row,  when  holes  are  made — at  intervals  of  about  two  inches — 
through  each  rush,  and  the  string  in  question  passed  through 
them  by  means  of  a bone  or  thorn  needle.  The  ends  of  the 
rushes,  however,  are  secured  more  strongly  by  back-stitches.. 
These  mats  serve  a double  purpose.  In  warm  weather  they 
are  open  and  airy,  whilst,  being  of  a porous  texture,  a shower 
closes  them,  and  after  a while  they  become  proof  against  the 
most  delusmig  rains. 

When  they  remove  their  habitations,  these  mattings  and  the 
framework  of  the  hut,  which  consists  of  semicircular  boughs, 
are  packed  on  oxen.  Their  household  utensils,  such  as  cala- 
bashes, milk-pails,  pots,  etc.,  are  suspended  to  the  boughs,  and 
in  the  midst  of  all  this  confusion  is  often  seated  the  good  dame 
of  the  house,  surrounded  by  her  promising  offspring. 

It  has  been  asserted  by  travelers  and  others,  that  the  Nama- 
quas have  not  the  slightest  idea  of  a Superior,  Being,  or  of  a lif 
hereafter.  Yet  they  believe  in  Heitjeebib,  or  Heitjekobib 
whom  they  consider  to  have  the  power  to  grant  or  with- 
hold them  success  and  prosperity.  But  whether  Heitjeebib  is 
a deity,  a goblin,  or  merely  a deified  ancestor,  I shall  not  pre- 
sume to  say.  At  all  events,  they  affirm  he  exists  in  the  graves 
of  all  deceased  people  ; 'and  whenever  a Hottentot  passes  a 
burial-place,  he  invariably  throws  a stone,  a bush,  or  other 
token  of  offering  and  affection,  on  the  tomb,  pronouncing  the 
name  of  Heitjeebib,  and  invoking  his  blessing  and  protection  in 
his  undertakings.  From  being  thus  constantly  added  to,  these- 


254 


CURIOUS  LEGEND. 


heaps  often  attain  a great  size.  They  are  found  throughout  th< 
country  (I  have  observed  them  even  in  Damara-land),  and  fre- 
quently in  situations  perfectly  “ stoneless,”  from  which  it  maj 
be  inferred  that  the  natives  carry  the  materials  a long  distance 
Captain  Harris  mentions  having  seen  similar  heaps  amongst  th< 
Matabili,  but  was  unable  to  account  for  their  presence.  Ths 
Hottentots  have  an  indistinct  notion  that  they  came  from  ai 
easterly  direction,  and  it  is  possible  that  the  stone  tumuli  fount 
by  the  traveler  may  have  something  to  do  with  this  tra- 
dition. 

The  natives  in  these  parts  have  a strange  tale  of  a rock,  ii 
which  the  tracks  of  all  the  different  animals  indigenous  to  th 
country  are  distinctly  visible;  moreover,  that  man  and  beast  liver 
here  together  in  great  amity,  but  one  day,  from  some  unknowi' 
cause,  their  Deity  appeared  unxepectedly  and  dispersed  then 
I never  had  the  good  fortune  to  obtain  a sight  of  this  marvelou 
rock.  Mr.  Moffat,  who  makes  mention  of  a similar  story  pre 
vailing  among  the  Bechuanas,  was  equally  unsuccessful.  “ One 
I heard  a man  of  influence,”  says  the  reverend  gentlemai. 
41  telling  his  story  on  the  subject.  I,  of  course,  could  not  sa 
that  I believed  the  wondrous  tale  ; but  very  mildly  hinted  tha 
he  might  be  misinformed;  on  which  he  swore,  by  his  ancestor 
and  his  king,  that  he  had  visited  the  spot,  and  paid  a tax  to  se 
the  wonder;  and  that,  consequently,  his  testimony  was  inch 
hi  table.” 

The  Namaquas  have  the  following  singular  superstition  wit 
regard  to  the  hare,  which  no  adult  is  allowed  to  eat.  The  !< 
gend  involves  the  sublime  Christian  doctrine  of  immortality. 

Once  upon  a time,  the  moon  called  the  hare,  and  commande 
him  to  convey  to  man  the  following  message: — “ As  I die  an 
am  born  again,1  so  you  shall  die  and  be  again  alive.”  The  hai 
hastened  to  obey  ; but  instead  of  saying,  “ As  I die,  and  am  boi 
again,”  he  said,  “As  I die,  and  am  not  born  again.”  On  his  retun 
the  moon  inquired  what  words  he  had  conveyed  to  mankim 
and,  on  being  informed,  the  luminary  exclaimed — “ What ! hay 
you  said  to  man,  ‘ As  1 die  and  am  not  born  again,  so  you  sha 
die  and  not  be  again  alive  !’  ” And  with  this  he  hurled  a stic 
at  the  hare,  with  such  force  as  to  split  open  his  lips,  which 
the  cause  of  the  peculiar  formation  of  this  animal’s  mouth.  T1 
hare  quickly  betook  himself  to  flight,  and  is  said  to  be  flying  : I 
the  present  day.  The  old  Namaquas  used  to  say  : — “ We  ai 

1 When  speaking  of  the  moon,  the  Namaquas  do  not  say,  like  ourselves,  that 
arises  and  sets,  but  that  “ it  dies  and  is  born  again.” 


THE  WITCH-DOCTOR. 


25d 


still  enraged  with  the  hare,  because  he  has  brought  such  a bad 
message,  and  we  will  not  eat  him.” 

On  the  occasion  of  a youth  coming  of  age,  or  rather  wheu 
becoming  a “ man,”  there  is  great  rejoicing.  From  that  day 
forward,  he  is  forbidden  to  eat  the  hare,  or  even  to  come  in  con- 
tact with  the  fire  where  this  animal  has  been  prepared.  Should 
he  transgress  this  command,  he  is  not  unfrequently  banished 
from  his  werft ; though,  on  paying  a fine,  he  may  again  be 
admitted  to  the  community.  He  is,  moreover,  no  longer  per- 
mitted to  “ suck  the  goats.”1 

The  Namaquas,  like  almost  all  nations  who  are  sunk  in 
barbarism,  have  great  faith  in  sorcery ; and  male  and  female 
witch-doctors  equally  play  conspicuous  parts.  These  impostors 
are  supposed  to  have  the  power  to  procure  rain,  to  restore  the 
sick  to  health,  to  discover  the  cause  of  a person’s  death,  and  to 
perform  other  miracles.  They  are  crafty  creatures,  and  know 
how  to  take  advantage  of  the  popular  ignorance.  Even  civil- 
ized men  have  been  deceived  by  their  wiles.  Their  principal 
stipulation  before  they  exercise  any  of  their  arts  is  to  have  some 
animal  slaughtered,  which  they  prescribe  according  to  their 
fancy  and  to  the  wealth  of  their  patients.  Mr.  Moffat  tells  us  that 
a stout  ox  might  be  a cure  for  a slight  cold  in  a chieftain,  while 
a kid  would  be  a remedy  for  a fever  among  the  poor,  from  whom 
there  could  be  no  chance  of  obtaining  anything  greater. 

The  Nam  a qua  witch-doctor  is  called  haiaob,  or  kaiaobs , if  a 
woman.  On  being  called  to  the  sick-bed,  after  having  examined 
the  patient,  he  or  she  generally  declares  that  the  ailment  is 
caused  by  a great  snake  (toros)  having  fired  an  arrow  into  the 
stomach.  The  sorcerer  operates  by  feeling  this  part  of  the  body, 
and  by  a good  squeezing  endeavors  to  coax  the  illness  away. 
Another  approved  plan  is  to  make  a small  incision  on  the  body 
about  the  place  where  the  cause  of  the  disease  is  supposed  to 
lurk,  and  to  suck  it  out.  The  production  of  a snake,  a frog,  an 
insect,  or  the  like,  is  frequently  the  result.  Eyebrecht  solemnly 
declared  that  he  once  was  an  eye-witness  to  such  an  operation 
on  a woman  at  Jonker’s  place.  When  the  witch-doctor  arrived, 
a sheep  was  killed,  and  the  sinews  of  the  back  were  cut  out  and 
rolled  up  into  a small  ball,  which  the  patient  was  made  to 
swallow  ; the  remainder  of  the  animal,  of  course,  being  appro- 
priated to  the  sorcerer’s  own  stomach.  A few  days  afterwards, 
the  wizard  returned,  and  cut  some  small  holes  in  the  abdomen 

‘It  is  a practice  among  the  young  Namaquas  to  hold  a goat  between  the  knees, 
and  draw  the  milk  directly  from  the  teats  of  the  animal  into  their  own  mouths. 


•256 


AMULET  S T RA NS  FORMATION  . 


of  the  patient,  on  which  a small  snake  escaped,  then  a lizard 
numerous  other  animals  following. 

To  become  a witch-doctor  of  any  importance,  a person  is 
required  to  be  instructed  by  one  previously  well  versed  in  the 
mysteries  of  the  black  art.  He  must  begin  his  lessons  by  swal- 
lowing animal  poison,  be  bitten  by  venomous  reptiles,  or  have 
poison  inoculated  into  his  body.  A cap,  a handkerchief,  or,  any 
sort  of  clothing  worn  by  such  a person  until  it  has  become  per- 
fectly saturated  with  filth,  is  considered  the  most  infallible  cure 
for  all  kinds  of  diseases,  poisonous  bites,  etp.  . On  emergencies, 
a corner  of  this  treasure  is  washed,  and  the  dirty-water  thus 
produced  is  given  to  the  patient — beast  or  man — to  drink. 
The  chief,  Amral,  assured  me  that  he  possessed  a cap  of  this 
kind,  with  which  he  had  effected  innumerable  cures.  “It  is  sure,” 
he  said,  “ to  cause  relief  when  nothing  else  is  of  any  avail.” 
The  witch-doctors  have  also  other  disgusting  methods  of  effect- 
ing cures. 

Like  most  of  the  tribes  in  Southern  Africa,  the  Namaquas 
have  great  faith  in  amulets,  which  consist,  as  usual,  of  the  teeth 
and  claws  of  lions,  hyaenas,  and  other  wild  beasts;  pieces  of 
wood,  bone,  dried  flesh  and  fat,  roots  of  plants,  etc. 

When  a chief  died,  it  was  formerly  customary  to  call  the 
whole  tribe  together,  and  to  give  a grand  feast  in  honor  of  the 
occasion.  The  fat,  and  all  the  choice  parts  of  the  slaughtered 
animals,  were  preserved  for  the  son  of  the  deceased,  who  was  to 
succeed  his  father  in  the  chieftainship.1  The  raw  fat  was  placed 
on  his  head,  and  worn  until  it  became  dry,  when  it  was  trans- 
ferred to  some  crone,  who  carefully  preserved  it  as  a much- 
prized  amulet. 

During  his  journeyings  in  Great  Namaqua-land,  Sir  James 
Alexander  was  told  by  the  natives,  that  the  bushwmmen  have 
it  in  their  power  to  change  their  forms  into  lions,  hyaenas,  and 
other  beasts  of  prey.  The  following  legend  illustrates  this 
superstition : 

“ Once  on  a time,  a certain  Namaqua  was  traveling  in  com 
pany  with  a bushwoman  carrying  a child  on  her  back.  They 
had  proceeded  some  distance  on  their  journey,  when  a troop  of 
wild  horses  (zebras)  appeared,  and  the  man  said  to  the  woman, 
‘ I am  hungry;  and  as  I know  you  can  turn  yourself  into  a lion, 
do  so  now,  and  catch  us  a wild  horse,  that  we  may  eat.’ 

■ 

1 After  a great  hunt,  it  was  also  the  custom  to  reserve  for  the  chief  the  heat 
pieces  of  the  different  kiud  of  game  which  had  been  killed,  such  as  the  breast  of 
the  eland,  the  hump  of  the  rhinoceros,  and  so  forth  ; the  rest  beiug  divided  amongst 
the  tribe. 


MARRIAGE. 


257 


‘The  woman  answered,  ‘you’ll  be  afraid.’ 

“ ‘No,  no,’  said  the  man.  ‘ I am  afraid  of  dying  of  hunger, 
but  not  of  you.’ 

“Whilst  he  was  speaking,  hair  began  to  appear  at  the  back 
of  the  woman’s  neck,  her  nails  assumed  the  appearance  of  claws, 
and  her  features  altered.  She  set  down  the  child. 

“ The  man,  alarmed  at  the  change,  climbed  a tree  close  by, 
while  the  woman  glared  at  him  fearfully;  and,  going  to  one 
side,  she  threw  off  her  skin  petticoat,  when  a perfect  lion  rushed 
out  into  the  plain.  It  bounded  and  crept  among  the  bushes 
towards  the  wild  horses  ; and,  springing  on  one  of  them,  it  fell, 
and  the  lion  lapped  its  blood.  The  lion  then  came  back  to 
where  the  child  was  crying,  and  the  man  called  from  the  tree, 
‘ Enough  ! enough  ! Don’t  hurt  me.  Put  off  your  lion’s  shape. 
I’ll  never  ask  to  see  this  again.’ 

“ The  lion  looked  at  him  and  growled.  ‘ I’ll  remain  here  til! 
I die,’  exclaimed  the  man,  ‘ if  you  don’t  become  a woman  again.’ 
The  mane  and  tail  began  to  disappear,  the  lion  went  towards 
the  bush,  where  the  skin  petticoat  lay:  it  was  slipped  on,  and 
the  woman,  in  her  proper  shape,  took  up  the  child.  The  man 
descended,  partook  of  the  horse’s  flesh,  but  never  again  asked 
the  woman  to  catch  game  for  him.” 

On  the  death  of  a person,  some  of  his  cattle  (the  richer  the 
deceased,  the  more  numerous  the  animals) , are  killed,  and  a ban- 
quet is  given  to  his  relations  and  friends.  On  these  occasions 
the  poor  beasts  are  suffocated.  Ordinarily,  and  when  intended 
for  food  alone,  animals  are  dispatched  by  some  sharp-cutting 
instrument.  The  flesh,  never  eaten  raw,  and  not  often  when 
roasted,  is  usually  served  up  when  boiled. 

The  ideas  of  a Namaqua  as  to  the  formation  and  rotary  mo- 
tion of  the  heavenly  bodies,  if  not  very  profound,  are  unques- 
tionably very  original.  “ The  sun,  by  some  of  the  people  of  this 
benighted  land,”  says  an  enterprising  traveler,  “is  considered 
to  be  a mass  of  fat,  which  descends  nightly  to  the  sea,  whe're  it 
is  laid  hold  of  by  the  chief  of  a white  man’s  ship,  who  cuts  away 
a portion  of  tallow,  and,  giving  the  rest  a kick,  it  bounds  away, 
sinks  under  the  wave,  goes  round  below,  and  then  comes  up 
again  in  the  east.” 

When  a man  feels  a desire  to  enter  the  matrimonial  state,  he 
goes  to  the  father  of  the  woman  on  whom  he  has  settled  his 
affection,  and  demands  her  in  marriage.  If  the  parent  be  favor- 
able to  the  match,  the  affair  may  be  considered  as  settled.  An 
ox  or  a cow  is  then  killed  outside  the  door  of  the  bride’s  home, 
and  the  ceremony  is  over. 


NAMAQUAS  LONS-LIVED. 


359 

Polygamy  is  practiced  without  limitation.  If  a man  become 
tired  of  his  wife,  he  unceremoniously  returns  her  to  the  parental 
roof,  and  however  much  she  (or  the  parents)  may  object  to  so 
summary  a proceeding,  there  is  no  remedy. 

Widows  are  left  to  shift  for  themselves. 

They  neither  cradle  nor  circumcise  their  children,  which  they 
are  said  to  name  in  the  following  singular  manner : No  man  nor 
woman  has  more  than  one  name,  which  is  retained  even  after 
marriage.  If  a daughter  be  born,  she  assumes  the  name  of  her 
father,  whilst  a boy  would  be  called  after  his  mother,  with  very 
little  alteration.  I never  could  understand  the  reason  of  this. 

Within  the  memory  of  the  present  generation,  a barbarous 
practice  prevailed,  of  leaving  old  and  disabled  people  to  perish 
far  away  from  the  dwellings  of  men.  A slight  fence  was  raised 
round  the  “ living-dead,”  and  a small  supply  of  water  was  placed 
at  his  side,  when  he  was  abandoned  to  his  fate.  Mr.  Moffat, 
during  his  wanderings  in  Namaqua-land,  saw  one  of  these 
wretches  (a  woman) ; and  on  inquiring  the  cause  of  her  being 
thus  deserted,  she  replied  : “I  am  old,  you  see,  and  no  longer  |j 
able  to  serve  them  (referring  to  her  grown-up  children).  When 
they  kill  game,  I am  too  feeble  to  help  in  carrying  home  the  !| 
flesh  ; I am  incapable  of  gathering  wood  to  make  fire  ; and  I ;; 
cannot  carry  their  children  on  my  back,  as  I used  to  do.” 

The  Namaquas  may  be  said  to  be  long-lived,  for  individuals 
have  been  known  to  reach  the  advanced  age  of  ninety,  and  even 
one  hundred  years.  This  is  the  more  remarkable,  when  the 
very  wretched  life  they  lead  is  taken  into  consideration. 

The  Namaquas  have  a singular  custom,  both  amongst  them- 
selves and  with  regard  to  strangers,  which  consists  in  the  adop- 
tion  of  a “ father”  and  a “ mother.”  This  practice  is  so  widely 
observed,  that  few  who  come  in  contact  with  the  several  tribes 
are  able  to  avoid  it.  Almost  every  European  trader,  indeed, 
possesses  in  each  village,  which  he  is  in  the  habit  of  frequenting, 
either  a so-called  “father”  or  “ mother.”  But  the  custom  is  a 
most  inconvenient  one — to  the  traveler,  at  least — for  he  may  be 
pretty  sure  that,  as  soon  as  this  near  degree  of  consanguinity  is 
established  between  himself  and  a Namaqua,  he  will  be  asked 
for  a horse  or  an  ox,  or  it  may  be  for  the  very  coat  upon  his 
back,  which,  as  in  duty  bound,  he  is  expected  to  hand  over  to 
“ papa”  or  “ mamma,”  as  the  case  may  be.  The  poor  son,  it  is 
true,  has  also  the  privilege  of  demanding  anything  that  may 
captivate  his  fancy.  But  since  a native  is  usually  more  forward 
and  importunate  than  a European,  the  bargain,  as  a rule,  is  gen- 
erally a losing  one  to  the  latter. 


ORNAMENTS ARMS HABITS. 


25§ 


When  two  Namaquas  are  talking  together,  and  one  is  relating 
a story,  the  listener  repeats  the  last  words  ot'  the  speaker,  even 
if  he  should  know  as  much  of  the  matter  as  his  informant.  For 
instance  : if  a man  begin  his  recital  by  saying — “ As  I walked 
along  the  river,  a very  large  rhinoceros  rushed  suddenly  upon 
me.”  “Rushed  suddenly  upon  me,”  echoes  the  auditor.  “ He 
was  very  fat.”  “ Very  fat,”  the  other  ejaculates,  and  so  forth. 

The  Namaquas  are  fond  of  ornamenting  their  persons  profuse- 
ly with  brass,  iron,  and  copper,  but  more  especially  with  small 
beads  of  various  colors.  A kind  of  black,  dull  bead,  manufac- 
tured by  themselves,  is  particularly  esteemed.  A quantity  of 
resin  is  procured,  which  they  melt  and  mix  with  powdered 
charcoal,  and,  during  the  process  of  cooling,  it  is  diligently 
kneaded,  until,  being  converted  to  the  consistency  of  gum,  it  is 
Irawn  out  into  long,  narrow  bars.  Again  it  is  gentiy  heated 
aver  a slow  fire,  when  small  bits  are  detached  and  worked  be- 
tween the  fingers  till  they  assume  the  desired  shape.  Their 
patterns  of  bead-work  are  by  no  means  devoid  of  taste. 

These  people  tattoo  themselves,  and  also  anoint  and  be- 
sprinkle their  bodies  with  a profusion  of  grease  and  powders. 
The  latter  are  of  several  kinds,  and  are  chiefly  obtained  from  the 
eaves  and  plants  of  the  croton  and  diosma  families.  These  pow 
iers  are  called  “ buku”  by  the  Namaquas,  and  are  much  esteem- 
ed, more  especially  the  kind  procured  south  of  the  Orange  river, 
which  has  a very  agreeable  and  aromatic  scent. 

The  sole  arms  of  the  Namaquas  of  the  present  day  arp  guns.. 
Their  original  weapons,  which  consisted  of  the  bow  and  arrow,, 
the  assegai,  and  an  immense  shield  (made  out  of  an  entire,  sin- 
gle-folded ox-hide),  are  now  rarely  seen. 

The  Namaquas  are  an  excessively  idle  race.  They  may  be 
seen  basking  in  the  sun  for  days  together,  in  listless  inactivity, 
frequently  almost  perishing  from  thirst  or  hunger,  when,  with 
jvery  little  exertion,  they  may  have  it  in  their  power  to  satisfy 
he  cravings  of  nature.  If  urged  to  work,  they  have  been  heard 
;o  say  : “ Why  should  we  resemble  the  worms  of  the  ground  ?” 
A.  few  may  occasionally  be  seen  employing  themselves  in  mak- 
ing neat  little  camp-stools,  and  in  repairing  guns,  for  which 
:hey  have  a certain  aptitude.  Jonker  Afrikaner — be  it  said  to 
fiis  honor — is  by  far  the  most  industrious  Hottentot  that  I have 
yet  seen. 

They  are  excessively  fond  of  diversions,  more  especially 
nusic  and  dancing.  They  do  not,  however,  distinguish  them- 
lelves  by  grace  in  their  movements,  nor  do  they  even  possess 
hat  dexterity  and  flexibility  of  limb  that  the  Ovambo  ladies — 




260 


DOMESTIC  ANIMALS 


at  the  expense  of  our  peace  of  mind — exhibited  at  King  Nan- 
goro’s  court  bull. 

They  understand  and  practice  the  art  of  distilling  spirits. 
When  a certain  kind  of  berry,  of  a sweet  and  agreeable  taste,  is 
ripe,  large  quantities  are  collected  and  put  into  a skin-bag  to 
ferment.  On  being  sufficiently  advanced,  they  are  deposited  in 
a large  pot  and  boiled,  and  the  steam  drawn  off  into  another 
vessel  joined  to  it  by  an  old  gun-barrel.  The  liquor  is  then 
allowed  to  settle  for  a few  days,  and  becomes  so  strong  and 
intoxicating  th.at  a small  glass  or  two  is  sufficient  to  upset  any 
man’s  reason  not  previously  accustomed  to  it.  I have  seen  the 
natives  become  perfectly  maddened  by  its  effect.  e 

They  also  make  a kind  of  mead  (a  favorite  drink  with 
the  ancient  Northmen)  which  is  a pleasant  and  refreshing 
beverage,  and,  unless  partaken  of  to  excess,  is  comparatively 
harmless. 

The  domestic  animals  of  the  country,  are  the  cow,  the  sheep, 
the  goat,  and  the  dog.  The  sheep  is  highly  prized  by  them,  sc 
much  so  that  at  one  time  (before  the  introduction  of  tobacco’ 
it  was  more  thought  of  than  anything  else — even  than  women 
The  original  breed  of  Namaqua  cattle  is  nearly  extinct.  Tin 
southern  tribes  still  possess  it,  though  more  or  less  mixed  will 
that  of  the  colony  and  Damara-land.  In  shape  and  size  tin 
Namaqua  cattle  approach  nearer  the  European  breed  than  b 
that  indigenous  to  the  countries  north  of  them.  They  are  of 
moderate  size,  very  compact,  and  have  short,  but  stout  horn 
(usually  curved  inwards),  with  rather  large  hoofs. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

LEAVE  THE  ORANGE  RIVER ARRIVAL  AT  KOMAGGAS GARDENING  A No 

AGRICULTURE THE  AUTHOR  STARTS  ALONE  FOR  THE  CAPE COLON  If 

HORSES ENMITY  OF  THE  BOERS  TO  “ BRITISHERS” DUTCH  SALUTA- 
TION  THE  AUTHOR  MUST  HAVE  BEEN  AT  TIMBUCTOO,  WHETHER  OR 

NO HE  ARRIVES  AT  CAPE-TOWN CUTS  A SORRY  FIGURE IS  RUN 

AWAY  WITH A FEAST-  OF  ORANGES GHOST  STORIES QATTLE  AUC- 
TION  HANS  AND  JOHN  ALLEN  PROCEED  TO  AUSTRALIA PREPARATIONS 

FOR  JOURNEY  TO  THE  NGAMI DEPARTURE  FROM  THE  CAPE. 

On  the  25th  of  August,  we  left  the  inhospitable  banks  of  the 
pranMe  river.  After  rather  more  than  a week’s  slow  travel, 
hrough  dreary  and  uninteresting  tracts  of  land  covered  by  a 
leep,  yielding,  sandy-soil,  bearing  a dwarfish  vegetation,  we 
rrived  at  Komaggas,  also  a Rhenish  missionary  station.  The 
lev.  Mr. -Weich  now  officiated  here.1  The  congregation  con- 
ists  of  a promiscuous  collection  of  Hottentots,  and  the  offspring 
if  other  dark-colored  natives. 

Komaggas  is  picturesquely  situated,  and  well  supplied  with 
stater.  Gardening  is  brought  almost  to  perfection  ; and,  not- 
withstanding the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere,  corn  is  cultivated 
With  success  in  the  neighborhood.  Indeed,  the  best  wheat  in 
he  west  part  of  the  colo'ny,  I am  informed,  is'  grown  here. 
Slut  its  cultivation  is  attended  with  much  labor,  since  it  can 

jj 1 This  institution  was  founded  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schmelen.  In  1830,  during 
ie  administration  of  Sir  Lowry  Cole,  it  received,  by  charter,  an  extensive  grant 
' territory  from  the  British  government  at  the  Cape.  On  that  memorable  occa- 
[on,  the  zealous  missionary  presented  to  the  governor  a translation  of  the  tour 
iospels  in  the  Namaqua  tongue. 

li 


THE  CAPE-COLONY  HORSE. 


202 


only  be  raised  on  the  summit  of  hills  (which  retain  moistun 
longer  than  the  lowlands),  rising  not  unfrequently  severa 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 

Except  at  the  station,  and  one  or  two  other  spots,  the  extern 
sive  grounds  are  scantily  watered,  and  ill-adapted  for  grazing 
During  our  visit,  numbers  of  cattle  were  dying  from  starvation 
The  region  is,  moreover,  in  some  seasons  infected  by  disease! 
fatal  to  beasts  of  pasture,  and  these  maladies,  of  late  years 
have  been  of  so  destructive  a character  as  nearly  to  exterminati 
the  cattle.  Indeed,  many  of  the  Bastards  and  Hottentots,  wh< 
chiefly  inhabit  these  parts,  and  who  were'  formerly  living  ii 
great  abundance,  are  reduced  to  beggary  from  this  cause. 

I now  determined  to  leave  Hans,  and  proceed  in  advance  ti 
Cape-Town,  with  a view  of  making  arrangements  about  th 
sale  of  the  cattle,  and  the  intended  expedition  to  the  Ngami 
As  we  were  now  in  a locality  where  horses  might  be  obtained 
I procured  three  or  four  of  these  animals  without  delay,  partn 
for  cash  and  partly  for  cattle.  The  rate  of  exchange  was  fron 
five  to  ten  oxen,  according  to  the  qualities  of  the  horse;  or 
if  money,  100  rixd.  (£7  10).  A first-rate  hack  might  be  pur 
chased  for  <£10,  though,  of  course,  high-bred  horses  were  mop 
expensive*. 

The  Cape-Colony  horse  is  a wonderful  beast.  He  is  sup 
posed  to  be  of  Spanish  descent,  but,  of  late  years,  has  beer 
much  crossed  by  various  breeds.  Without  any  pretension  to 
beauty,  lie  is,  perhaps,  unrivaled  in  docility,  hardiness,  am 
endurance.  In  eight  days  (one  of  which  was  devoted  to  rest) 
rode,  accompanied  by  a Hottentot  servant,  from  near  Kornag 
gas  to  Cape-Town — a distance  of  upwards  of  four  hundrei 
miles  by  road — thus  averaging  fifty  miles  per  day.  On  an  afte 
occasion,  I remember  to  have  performed  upwards  of  ninet 
miles  at  a very  great  pace,  only  once  or  twice  removing  tli 
saddle  for  a few  minutes.  And  be  it  borne  in  mind  that  th 
animals  were  young,  indifferently  broken  in,  unshod,  and  ha 
never  been  stall-fed. 

A most  striking  instance  of  the  extraordinary  endurance  o 
Colony  horses  occurred  a few  years  ago,  in  Great  Nam  aqua-1  atu 
The  animal  in  question  belonged  to  a son  of  the  Hottentot  chie 
Zwartbooi,  who  one  day,  whilst  hunting  in  an  open  tract  o 
country,  fell  in  with  a troop  of  eleven  giraffes,  to  which  he  in 
mediately  gave  chase,  and  the  whole  of  which  he  rode  down  an 
shot  in  succession..  But  the  immense  exertion  was  too  muc 
for  the  gallant  creature,  whose  life  was  thus  sacrificed. 


This  remarkable  horse  was  well  known  throughout  Greai 


DUTCH  WELCOME. 


263 


Namaqua-land,  and  is  said  to  have  been  quite  mad  with  excite- 
ment when  he  observed  a wild  animal.  He  only  ceased  to  pur- 
sue when  the  game  was  either  killed,  or  no  longer  in  sight. 

The  Colony  horses,  with  a little  training,  answer  admirably 
for  either  hunting  or  shooting.  They  may  be  taught  to  remain 
stationary  for  hours  together  by  merely  turning  the  bridle  over 
their  heads,  resting  the  extremities  of  the  reins  on  the  ground 
They  seldom  trot;  the  usual  pace  is  a canter,  and  occasionally 
an  amble. 

So  much  has  already  been  said  and  written  on  the  Cape-Colo- 
ny, its  sturdy  boers,  its  soil,  its  production,  and  soforth,  that 
it  would  be  superfluous  to  add  anything  further.  Suffice  it 
to  mention  a few  of  the  most  remarkable  incidents  of  my 
journey. 

Soon  after  leaving  Komaggas,  my  horse — a young,  half- 
trained  stallion  which  had  only  been  ridden  thrice — -shied,  and, 
rearing  on  his  hind  legs,  came  to  the  ground  on  his  back  with 
sudden  violence.  Providentially,  the  soil  was  soft  and  yielding, 
and  although  I sustained  his  whole  weight  for  a few  seconds,  I 
escaped  with  no  worse  consequence  than  a tight  squeezing. 

After  leaving  Komaggas,  the  homesteads  of  the  boer  be- 
came daily  more  numerous.  Riding  up,  one  morning,  to  a house, 
with  a view  of  procuring  some  bread  and  flour,  I was  greeted 
with  the  following  civil  address — “ Daar  komt  weder  die  ver- 
doomde  Engelsman,” — that  is,  “ There  comes  again  the  cursed 
Englishman.”  Though  I had  heard  much  of  the  aversion  these 
men  entertain  for  all  that  is  British,  and  their  coarse  language  in 
general,  I certainly  had  not  expected  that  they  would  have  carried 
their  animosity  so  far.  Walking  straight  up  to  the  individual 
that  had  thus  accosted  me,  I said  in  as  good  Dutch  as  I could 
muster — “ My  good  friend,  in  my  country,  when  a stranger  does 
is  the  honor  to' pay  us  a visit,  before  even  asking  his  errand  or 
lis  name,  much  less  abusing  him,  we  invite  him  to  our  table; 
md,  when  he  has  quenched  his  thirst  and  satisfied  his  hunger, 
we  may  probably  inquire  whence  he  comes  or  where  he  goes.” 
\nd  with  this  I leapt  into  the  saddle.  The  fellow  clearly  felt 
;he  rebuke ; for,  on  seeing  me  turn  my  horse’s  head  away,  he 
mdeavored  to  persuade  me  to  stop.  But  his  rude  salutation 
iad  quite  spoilt  my  appetite. 

As  a rule,  however,  though  frequently  coarse  and  abrupt  in 
heir  language  and  conversation,  they  are  undeniably  hospitable  ; 
nd  when  a persou  can  converse  with  them  in  their  own  lan- 
;uage,  and  accommodate  himself  to  their  manners  and  peculi- 
rities,  they  are  excellent  fellows,  as  I have  often  since  experi- 


264 


CONSEQUENCE  OF  SPEAKING  DUTCH. 


enced.  To  several  of  their  customs,  nevertheless,  the  stranger 
will  find  some  difficulty  in  reconciling  himself. 

In  these  localities,  on  meeting  a wayfaring  man,  the  Dutch 
boer  invariably  thus  accosts  him  : — “ Good-day  ! Where  do  you 
come  from?  Where  are  you  going ? Are  you  married ? How 
many  children  have  you?” — and  so  forth.  If  you  should  be  so 
unfortunate  as  not  to  have  entered  into  the  marriage  state,  he 
is  astonished  beyond  measure,  and  looks  upon  you  with  some- 
thing like  contempt. 

Like  most  people  who  are  novices  in  a foreign  language,  I 
committed,  at  first,  sad  mistakes,  and  many  a 'joke  and  laugh 
originated  at  my  expense.  Once,  indeed,  my  awkwardness  cost 
me  the  loss  of  a supper,  of  which  I stood  greatly  in  need,  hav 
ing  ridden  some  fifty  miles  in  the  course  of  the  day,  without 
tasting  food  of  any  description.  In  the  Dutch  language. 
“ danken”  signifies  a direct  refusal  ; but,  not  being  aware  of 
this,  I interpreted  it  in  the  very  reverse  sense,  as  meaning,  “ If 
you  please.”  As  often,  therefore,  as  I repeated  the  ominoufj 
word,  so  often  had  I the  mortification  of  seeing  the  smoking! 
dishes  pass  by  me  ! 

Refreshing  myself,  one  afternoon,  at  a comfortable  farm- 
house, the  worthy  host  inquired  whence,  and  how  far  I hat 
journeyed.  Having  made  a rough  calculation  in  my  own  mind 
I told  him  the  approximate  distance.  No  sooner  had  I done  so 
than  he  clasped  his  hands  together,  and  turning  to  his  wife,  ex 
claimed,  in  the  utmost  amazement — “ Gracious  heavens  ! tin 
man  has  been  in  Timbuctoo !”  “No,  my  good  friend,  not  quit 
so  far,”  I remarked,  ljut  he  became  too  much  absorbed  in  tin 
novel  idea,  and  without  attending  to  me,  he  went  on  to  say- 
“ Yes,  indeed,  the  man  has  been  at  Timbuctoo.”  I again  tool 
the  liberty  to  remonstrate,  when  his  brother,  who  was  als 
present,  ejaculated — “Yes,  brother,  you  are  right.  Timbuc 
too  i — ah!  eh? — yes!  Let  me  see,  Timbuctoo.  Ah,  I remem 
her  to  have  read  that  it  is  situated  at  the  end  of  Africa,  in 
place  where  you  can  see  nothing  but  sand.”  Once  more  I at 
tempted  to  explain,  but  to  no  purpose.  Right  or  wrong,  I mas 
have  been  at  Timbuctoo.  I secretly  wished  I had  been  there. 

Finding  they  apparently  knew  more  about  my  travels  than 
did,  I left  them  to  themselves  to  discuss  the  merit  of  the  journey 
and,  diving  into  the  eatables  which  had  been  liberally  sprea 
before  me,  I did  ample  justice  to  their  hospitality. 

On  the  22nd  of  September  1 reached  Cape-Town,  where  m 
appearance  afforded  no  little  delight  and  amusement  to  the  mol 
who  shouted  merrily  after  me,  “Look  at  the  jockey!  ha!  la 


A FEAST  OF  ORA  NB E S . 


205 


ha !”  My  dress  was  certainly  highly  picturesque.  An  old 
English  hunting-cap — a present  from  a friend — adorned  my  head. 
The  striped  jacket  that  I wore,  now  well  bleached  with  sun 
and  rain,  had  shrunk  to  such  a degree  as  to  reach  a few  inches 
down  my  back  ; and  as  for  sleeves,  they  just  covered  the  elbows, 
the  rest  having  been  left  on  the  “ Wacht-een-bigte”  bushes. 
My  nether  garments,  consisting  of  a pair  of  moleskin  trowsers, 
were  on  a par  with  my  jacket,  for  they  hardly  reached  to  the 
calf  of  my  leg;  and  to  complete  the  “turn  out”  rny  “veld” 
shoes  were  of  untanned  leather,  and  so  sunburnt  as  to  resemble 
bricks.  And  as  Cape-Town  at  that  time  could  boast  of  no 
“Moses  and  Son,”  or  “Silver  and  Co.,”  it  was  only  by  degrees, 
and  exploring  the  different  shops,  that  I was  able  to  remodel 
my  dress. 

I lost  no  time  in  advertising  our  cattle;  and,  having  secured 
a good  auctioneer,  and  made  some  other  arrangements,  I again 
set  off  to  join  my  party. 

Just  as  I left  Cape-Town,  my  horse,  which  was  excessively 
shy,  took  fright,  and  started  off  at  a rate  which  would  have 
“taken  the  shine”  out  of  even  John  Gilpin’s  runaway  steed. 
In  the  attempt  to  stop  him,  the  bit  (a  very  substantial  one), 
broke,  and  in  an  instant  I was  at  the  animal’s  mercy.  Finding 
myself  in  an  awkward  predicament,  and  being  desirous  to  short- 
en the  race  as  much  as  possible,  I unhesitatingly  gave  him  both 
spur  and  whip,  and,  as  a consequence,  ditches,  walls,  and  fences, 
were  leapt  and  passed  at  a fearful  rate,  to  the  great  danger  of 
myself  and  those  I encountered.  I do  not  profess  to  be  skilled 
n horsemanship,  my  experience  as  an  equestrian  being  very 
small.  It  was,  therefore,  as  much  as  I could  do  to  keep  my 
seat.  Nevertheless,  l had  the  good  fortune  to  escape,  unhurt ; 
or,  after  a while,  my  steed  became  exhausted,  and  pulled  up  of 
lis  own  accord. 

I found  Hans  in  good  health.  The  Dutch  boers  had  once  or 
wice  behaved  rudely  ; but  the  Dane’s  herculean  appearance  and 
ndependent  manner  quickly  cooled  their  ire,  and  he  was  allow- 
d to  pass  unmolested.  He  told  his  adventures  with  graphic 
ffect  and  racy  humor. 

Oranges,  which  are  very  abundant  in  these  parts,  were  be- 
in  ning  to  ripen.  One  day,  some  of  our  Damaras  expressed  a 
Osh  to  taste  the  enticing  fruit ; and  being  supplied  with  a stal- 
ing, they  started  off.  In  a short  time  they  brought  back  no 
3ss  than  two  hundred  oranges.  They  had  scarcely  finished  a 
ozen  or  two,  however,  before  the  effect  became  irresistible, 
’he  acidity  of  the^  fruit  at  this  time  of  the  year  was  so  great 
* ! 


266 


GHOST  STORIES. 


that  it  acted  with  the  force  of  gun-cotton  ; and,  after  having  a 
“ good  blow-out,”  they  were  so  disordered  as  to  be  unable  to 
taste  food  for  several  successive  days.  Indeed,  they  were  effect- 
ually cured  of  their  orange  mania. 

At  the  bivouac-fire  I was  often  entertained  with  ghost-stories. 
John,  our  wagon-driver,  who  seemed  fully  to  believe  in  appari- 
tions, was  the  chief  narrator. 

“Ghosts,”  said  he,  “ abound  in  and  about  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Cape.  At  times  they  appear  in  the  shape  of  dogs  ; at 
others  in  that  of  human-  beings.  Once,  late  at  night,  I was 
coming  from  Simon’s  Bay,  when  the  oxen  all  of  a sudden  stop- 
ped short,  and  would  have  darted  right  into  the  bush  had  I nor 
been  quick  to  turn  them.  Just  then,  nothing  could  be  seen; 
but  presently,  a large,  white  dog,  with  a chain  round  the  neck, 
appeared.  He  passed  us  slowly  without  injuring  us  in  any 
way,  and  shaped  his  course  over  a cross  road,  when  we  contin- 
ued our  journey.  At  another  time  I met  the  “spook”  (ghost), 
in  the  form  of  a very  tall  black  man,  accompanied  by  a large  dog 
of  the  same  color. 

“Frequently,  when  returning  late  at  night  to  my  master’s 
place,  while  yet  at  a distance,  I have  seen  the  whole  yard  and 
dwelling-house  splendidly  illuminated,  but,  on  coming  to  the 
spot,  all  was  gone. 

“ As  a protection  to  the  garden,  my  master  had  erected  a hut, 
where  men  slept  at  night.  After  a while,  however,  the  places 
became  so  haunted  that  the  watchmen  fled,  and  slept  anywhere 
they  could  in  the  bush.  The  “ spooks”  were  seen  continually 
to  promenade  up  and  down  the  walks  arm-in-arm,  taking  an 
occasional  peep  into  the  house. 

“ In  dark  nights,  a ghost  would  sometimes  appear  at  the  head 
of  the  team,  and,  laying  hold  of  the  thong  attached  to  the  lead- 
ing ox,  would  conduct  the  cattle  out  of  their  proper  course — I 
being  totally  unconscious  of  the  proceedings  at  the  time-. 

“ Again  ; I would  hear  wagons  and  carriages  coming  along 
the  road  at  a brisk  pace,  and,  whilst  making  way  for  them  to 
pass,  I found,  to  my  astonishment,  that  the  vehicles  were  already 
far  a-head  of  us.” 

On  the  18th  of  October,  and  when  within  a day’s  ride  of 
Caj)e-Town,  we  disposed  of  our  cattle  by  public  auction. 

Owing  to  the  great  distance  we  had  brought  them,  and  tin 
scarcity  of  pasturage  during  the  latter  part  of  the  journey,  oui 
cattle  had  become  very  lean  ; and  although  they  were  in  them- 
selves an  exceedingly  fine  lot,  their  want  of  condition  neither 
suited  the  butcher  nor  the  grazier.  In  their  emaciated  state 


CATTLE  SOLD  BY  PUBLIC  AUCTION. 


26? 


sntieed,  it  would  require  fully  a year  before  they  would  become 
acclimatized  and  re-fattened,  in  which  interval,  and  before  get- 
ting accustomed  to  their  new  pasturage,  many  would  probably 
die.  They  scarcely  averaged  £2  per  head.  The  cows  sold  al- 
most the  best — not  on  account  of  the  milk  they  yielded,  for  that 
was  little  or  nothing,  but  simply  because,  strange  to  say,  they 
iwere  exempted  from  a peculiar  disease  (strangury),  which  kills 
the  oxen  in  these  parts.  The  boers  are  in  consequence  obliged 
to  make  use  of  cows  for  agricultural  purposes. 

It  is  customary  on  these  occasions  to  give  a banquet  to  the 
purchasers,  who  chiefly  consist  of  Dutch  farmers;  and  if  the 
cattle  are  known  to  be  tit  for  slaughter,  the  butchers  of  the  me- 
tropolis also  come  in  for  a share.  A large  quantity  of  wine  is 
supposed  to  be  necessary  to  facilitate  the  sale.  Fortunately, 
this  kind  of  liquor  is  very  cheap  ; and  though  a person  may' 
ihave  to  entertain  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  people  for  two  days 
together,  the  expense  of  such  festivities  rarely  exceed  seven  or 
eight  pounds  sterling. 

Our  hands  being  now  free,  the  first  object  to  which  we  turn- 
ed our  attention,  was  to  secure  a vessel  to  carry  us  back  to 
Walfisch  Bay.  There  happened  just  then  to  be  none  at  the 
Cape  ; but  we  were  promised  one  within  a certain  period.  In 
the  mean  time,  we  occupied  ourselves  in  making  the  needful 
purchases,  etc. 


DACHE's  PULPIT. 


268  DEPARTURE  OF  HANS  AND  JOHN  ALLEN. 


I also  made  excursions  into  the  neighborhood.  Amongst 
other  interesting  places,  I visited,  in  company  with  Mr.  Bain, 
(the  distinguished  South  African  geologist,)  the  famous  pass, 
called,  after  my  kind  host,  Bain’s  Kloof,  through  which  the  road 
leads  across  the  Drakenstein  mountains  from  the  village  of  Wel- 
lington to  the  district  of  Worcestershire.  The  vignette  on  the 
preceding  page  is  a view  of  a certain  part  of  the  pass  designated 
Dacre’s  pulpit,  and  has  been  selected  from  the  portfolio  of  an 
accomplished  friend  in  Cape-Town. 

We  had  nearly  finished  our  arrangements  when  the  news  ar- 
rived at  the  Cape  of  the  extraordinary  successes  met  with  at  the 
Australian  gold-diggings,  and  the  same  mania,  though  not  quite 
to  the  same  extent,  which  had  turned  the  people’s  heads  all 
over  the  world,  took  possession  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
colony.  Every  available  vessel  was  bought  up  or  chartered  for 
the  diggings.”  I began  seriously  to  apprehend  that  this 
would  deprive  us  of  the  craft  we  had  engaged.  Indeed,  the 
owner  did  actually  sell  her,  but,  fortunately,  placed  another  at 
our  disposal,  the  alteration,  however,  causing  us  very  great 
delay. 

Though  the  loss,  at  this  period,  of  the  assistance  of  Hans 
would  have  been  grievous  and  irreparable,  I thought  it  my  duty 
to  explain  to  him  the  respective  advantages  of  remaining  with  me 
and  going  to  Australia.  By  adhering  to  the  trading,  lie  would 
be  pretty  sure  to  secure  a fair  income  annually,  whilst  by  adopt- 
ing the  other  plan,  he  might  have  the  chance  of  realizing  a for- 
tune in  the  course  of  a year  or  two.  I urged  that  if  he  felt  at 
all  inclined  to  try  his  luck  at  the  “ diggings,”  lie  should  not 
hesitate  ; for,  in  that  case,  I would  take  charge  of  his  goods 
and  dispose  of  them  as  if  they  were  my  own.  Hans  evidently 
appreciated  my  well-meant  intentions,  but  generously  refused 
to  do  anything  that  was  not  in  strict  accordance  with  my  own 
wishes.  However,  I could  not  take  advantage  of  such  an  offer 
in  his  position,  but  told  him  to  think  the  matter  well  ove. 
by  himself  and  to  be  entirely  guided  by  his  own  i ncli nation. 

After  much  hesitation,  Hans  finally  came  to  the  determination 
to  migrate  to  Australia,-  and  John  Allen  having  also  expressed  a 
wash  to  accompany  him,  I drew  up  an  agreement  between  them 
of  such  a nature  that  they  might  dissolve  partnership  if  they 
wished,  without  detriment  to  either.  With  regard  to  myself 
and  Hans,  we  agreed  to  share  each  other’s  fortunes  (though  far 
apart)  bad  or  good. 

Matters  having  been  thus  far  settled,  I immediately  arranged 
about  the  passage  of  the  two  adventurers  ; provided  them  with 


REFLECTIONS. 


26S 


every  article  necessary  for  such  an  expedition,  and  nearly  one 
hundred  pounds  sterling  in  ready  money.  This  change  in  our 
original  plans  proved  of  great  inconvenience  to  me,  inasmuch  as 
we  had  already  sunk  every  available  shilling  of  our  small  capi- 
tal in  the  intended  expedition  to  Walfisch  Bay.  However,  it 
was  ail  successfully  arranged,  and  in  the  early  part  of  January, 
1853,  they  took  their  departure. 

Thus  once  more  I was  alone.  I could  not  help  reflecting  on 
the  difficulties  of  my  position.  Two  of  the  best  men  that,  per- 
haps, ever  set  foot  on  African  soil,  with  whom  I had  shared 
hardships  and  privations  of  no  trifling  character,  had  left  me  to 
seek  their  fortunes  in  remote  climes.  On  me  alone,  then,  de- 
volved the  task  of  watching  over  and  improving  the  united  in- 
terest of  myself  and  Hans.  Another  duty,  not  less  urgent, 
claimed  my  attention — namely,  that  of  solving  the  grand  geo- 
graphical problem — the  discovery  of  a route  from  the  west  coast 
to  the  Lake  Ngami.' 

On  mentioning  my  trying  position  to  some  Cape  friends,  they" 
coolly  advised  me  to  dispose  of  my  goods  and  return  to  Europe- 
I turned  in  disgust  from  the  proposal,  which  only  served  to  urge 
me  to  renewed  exertions.  My  spirits  rose  in  proportion  to  the 
difficulties. 

Immediately  on  the  departure  of  Hans  and  John  Allen,  I 
hastened  to  attend  to  my  own  affairs.  I was  tolerably  well 
supplied  with  everything  but  servants,  and  instruments  for  tak- 
ing astronomical  observations.  After  much  search  and  many 
bargains,  I succeeded  in  getting  together  a very  fair  set  of  the 
latter,  consisting  of  a large,  good-working  sextant,  a box-sextant 
for  taking  angular  bearings,  two  •artificial  horizons,  (one  of 
colored  plate  glass  mounted  in  brass,  with  leveling  screws,  and 
another  for  mercury,)  an  excellent  azimuth-compass,  one  or  two 
good  pocket-compasses,  three  boiling-point  thermometers  for 
ascertaining  heights  of  places  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  two 
telescopes,  one  for  common  field-work,  and  the  other  large 
enough  for  occultations,  a chronometer  watch,  and  two  ordinary 
watches.  Mr.  Maclear,  the  Royal  Astronomer  at  the  Cape, 
kindly  assisted  me  in  selecting  most  of  the  above  instruments. 
He,  moreover,  took  a great  deal  of  pains  in  adjusting  them,  and 
showed  me  their  use,  though,  I fear,  I almost  wore  out  his  pa- 
tience, for  I was  excessively  stupid  in  this  respect.  But  I trust 
the  result  has  proved  that  his  labor  was  not  altogether  thrown 
iway.  » 

Shortly  after  our  arrival  at  the  Cape,  I had  been  fortunate 
mough  in  securing  the  services  of  an  old  acquaintance,  Timboy 

- 


THK  BIKKENHEAD. 


-270 

who  had  safely  returned  from  St.  Helena,  where  he  left  Mr. 
Gairon.  He  proved  invaluable  to  me.  To  his  charge  my  dogs 
and  native  servants  were  confided,  and  they  throve  wonderfully 
under  his  management. 

I had  intended  to  send  two  or  three  Damaras  with  Hans  to 
Australia;  but  one  day,  previous  to  his  departure,  they  came  to 
me  in  great  tribulation,  and  said  that  they  did  not  want  to  go 
any  further,  but  wished  to  return  with  me  to  their  own  land  [ 
If  such  was  really  their  intention,  it  became  my  duty  to  gratify 
them  ; but  I could  not  help  feeling  a little  vexed,  for  since  no 
one  but  Timbo  could  speak  their  language,  I strongly  suspected 
that  he  had  influenced  their  decision.  With  a view  of  ascer- 
taining the  fact,  I called  him,  and  told  him  my  opinion  ; but  he 
stoutlv  denied  the  charge,  adding — “Suppose,  master,  me  was! 
to  take  a horse  from  the  stable  in, the  Kaap  to  Wynberg,  or  to 
any  other  strange  place,  and  then  leave  him  to  himself,  surely  jj 
he  would  return  whence  he  came;  and  so  it  was  with  the  na- 
tives.” I was  struck  with  the  sagacity  of  the  remark,  and  said 
no  more  about  the  matter. 

Timbo  had  procured  a passage  from  St.  Helena  in  the  Birken- 
head man  of  war,  and  on  the  voyage  he  got  acquainted  with  an! 
English  lad,  George  Bonfield,  aged  sixteen.  A mutual  attach- 
ment sprung  up  between  the  shrewd  Ethiopian  and  the  youth-,: 
ful  Saxon;  and,  in  a short  time,  the  former  was  the  means  of 
indirectly  saving  the  life  of  the  latter.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
vessel  at,  the  Cape,  the  boy  requested  permission  to  land,  in  or- 
der to  enjov  the  society  of  his  swarthy  friend.  This  was  grant- 
ed. on  condition  that  he  should  rejoin  the  vessel  at  Simon’s  Bay. 

Whilst  doubling  the  southern  extremity  of  Africa,  the  unfor- 
tunate Birkenhead  struck,  and,  as  is  well  known,  was  totally 
lost,  with  almost  all  hands  on  board. 

Timbo  took  every  care  of  the  boy,  whose  life  had  thus  been 
saved.  He  put  him  to  school,  and  afterwards  secured  him  a 
berth  with  a tradesman  in  Cape-Town.  Finding  that  the  youth 
was  anxious  to  see  something  more  of  the  world,  and  to  add  to 
his  store  of  knowledge,  I took  him  into  my  employ.  He  ac- 
companied me  to  the  Great  Lake,  and  when,  in  the  course  of' 
the  journey,  1 became  ill,  and  crippled  by  wounds  inflicted  by 
wild  animals,  his  presence  and  tender  care  greatly  relieved  and 
soothed  mv  sufferings. 

On  Timbo’s  recommendation,  and  from  possessing  a smatter- 
ing of  Portuguese,  I engaged  a Mozambique  liberated  slave,  of 
the  name  of  Louis ; but  he  turned  out  the  filthiest,  laziest,  mosi 
sensual,  and  most  useless  man  I ever  came  across.  Just  as  I 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  DEPARTURE. 


27  : 

wasabout  to  engage  him,  he  said — “ Of  coarse,  master  give  me 
my  washing  and  ironing.”  “My  good  fellow,”  I replied,  “has 
Timbo  not  explained  to  you  the  sort  of  country  we  are  going 
CO?  You  must  thank  your  stars  if  you  get  water  enough  to 
wash  your  face,  much  less  your  clothes.  And,  if  you  happen  to 
get  a sufficiency  for  the  latter  purpose,  you  will  certainly  have 
to  cleanse  your  own  garments.  In  the  wilderness,  according  to 
an  old  saying,  ‘ every  man  is  his  own  washerwoman.’  ” 

A young  Hottentot,  whom  I engaged  as  wagon-driver  for  the 
journey,  ran  into  debt,  and  shuffled  his  cards  so  cleverly,  that  I 
did  not  become  aware  of  the  circumstance  until  the  day  fixed  for 
our  departure,  when  there  was  of  course  no  time  to  look  for 
' another  driver,  and  I had  no  alternative  left  but  to  pay  his  lia- 
bilities. 

The  last  of  my  servants,  also  a Hottentot  and  a wagon-driver, 
known  as  “ old  Piet,”  was,  however,  a most  excellent  and  well- 
behaved  man.  He  had  been,  it  is  true,  in  the  habit  of  getting 
drunk,  but,  once  out  of  the  Cape,  he  proved  himself  a hard- 
working, honest,  and  faithful  fellow,  and  has  never  since  left  my 
service. 


NEGRO  BOY.! 


1 The  above  wood-cut  is  a portrait  of  a negro  youth,  born  and  bred  at  the  Cape. 
He  has  been  shopping,  and  is  returning  home  with  the  various  articles  entrusted 
jro  his  charge. 

- 


272  'DEPARTURE  FROM  CAPE-TOWN. 

Finding  that  a Mr.  Reid,  whose  acquaintance  I had  made  in 
Great  Namaqua-land,  and  who  had  been  very  kind  and  atten- 
tive to  me  when  I was  laid  up  by  fever,  was  about  to  under- 
take a trading  excursion  to  Walfisch  Bay,  I gladly  availed  my- 
self of  the  opportunity  thus  afforded,  of  dividing  between  us  the 
expenses  of  a vessel ; a considerable  sum  was  accordingly  saved 
to  me. 

At  last,  after  many  difficulties  and  delays,  we  were  ready; 
and  on  the  16th  of  January,  having  embarked  in  the  schooner 
Flying  Fish,  we  unfurled  our  sails  and  bade  farewell  to  Cape- 
Town,  where,  during  a second  stay,  I had  enjoyed  much  kind- 
ness and  hospitality. 


r 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

ARRIVAL  AT  WALFISCH  BAY ATROCITIES  OF  THE  NAMAQUAS MR.  HAHN— 

HIS  PHILANTHROPY AUTHOR  DEPARTS  FOR  RICHTERFELDT SHOOTS  A 

LION LIONS  UNUSUALLY  NUMEROUS PIET’S  PERFORMANCES  WITH  LIONS 

THE  LION  A CHURCH-GOER BARMEN EIKHAMS KAMAPYU’S  MAD 

DOINGS  AND  CONSEQUENCES  THEREOF KAMAPYU  IS  WOUNDED  BY  OTHER 

SHAFTS  THAN  CUPID’S AUTHOR  VISITS  CORNELIUS,  WHERE  HE  MEETS 

AMRAL  AND  A PARTY  OF  GBIQUA  ELEPHANT  HUNTERS REACHES  REHO- 

BOTH TANS  MOUNTAIN COPPER  ORE JONATHAN  AFRIKA A LION 

SUPS  ON  A GOAT A LION  BESIEGES  THE  CATTLE. 

We  had  an  excellent  run  to  Walfisch  Bay,  and  reached  it  on 
the  23rd  of  the  month  in  which  we  left  the  Cape.  In  the  after- 
noon, Handed  the  horses,  but  very  nearly  lost  the  best.  The  halter 
having  slipped  oft'  his  head,  he  was  making  straight  for  the  sea, 
and  was  well  nigh  exhausted  before  we  could  again  secure  him. 
The  same  night,  I rode  over  to  Scheppmansdorff ; but  the  dark- 
ness was  so  profound  that  I was  unable  to  see  the  track  or  hold 
any  course.  It  was  by  the  merest  accident  that  I stumbled 
upon  the  house,  to  the  great  surprise  of  my  old  friends,  the  Bam 
family,  whom  I found  well,  but  not  so  comfortably  lodged  as 
when  I saw  them  last — the.  Kuisip  having  swept  away  their 
dwelling-house  and  out-buildiims. 

o o 

From  the  worthy  missionary  I learnt  much  both  to  please 
and  grieve  me.  The  Nam  aquas  had,  as  usual,  been  pillaging  the 
Damaras,  and  were  dealing  death  and  desolation  around  them, 
it  was  no  longer  considered  safe  even  for  white  men  to  remain. 
Indeed,  the  Namaquas  had  already  attacked  Richterfeldt.  Early 
one  morning  a horde  of  these  marauders  suddenly  appeared, 
18 


274 


ATROCITIES  OF  THE  NAMAQUAS. 


and  carried  off  all  the  cattle  belonging  to  the  people  of  the 
station.  Not  satisfied  with  this,  they  fired  several  shots  into 
the  dwelling-house,  though,  fortunately,  without  effect.  Mrs. 
Rath  and  children  were  laid  up  by  “ eye-sickness,”  and  Mr. 
Schoneberg,  who  had  arrived  the  day  previously,  and  who  was 
in  a very  weak  state  from  the  effects  of  a recent  severe  illness, 
was  almost  frightened  out  of  his  senses  by  the  sudden  and  un- 
expected onset. 

On  Mr.  Rath  walking  up  to  the  barbarians  to  remonstrate 
with  them  on  their  brutal  conduct,  they  seized  and  flogged  him 
severely.  A Damara,  who  was  at  his  side,  they  shot  dead.  In 
consequence  of  this  attack,  Messrs.  Rath  and  Schoneberg  were 
daily  expected  to  leave  their  stations,  and  to  remove  to  Mr. 
Barn’s  place. 

On  the  other  hand.  I heard  that  a party  of  Bechuanas  had 
been  visiting  Jonker  Afrikaner,  and  it  was  supposed  they  had 
crossed  the  Kalahari  desert.  This  was  gratifying  intelli- 
gence ; because,  if  these  natives  had  been  able  to  pass  through 
such  dreaded  regions,  I might  also  humbly  hope  to  do  the 
same. 

On  my  return  to  the  Bay,  I found  almost  all  my  goods,  and 
those  of  my  friend,  Mr.  Reid,  safely  landed  ; and,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  Mr.  Barn’s  oxen,  everything  was  quickly  transferred 
to  the  station.  This  was  scarcely  effected,  when  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Kleinschmidt  and  Hahn  arrived  from  the  Cape.  The 
latter  had  been  on  his  road  to  Europe  to  pay  a visit  to  his  fami- 
ly, and  make  some  arrangements  respecting  the  education  of 
his  children.  But  his  heart  bled  for  the  wretched  condi- 
tion of  this  benighted  land ; and,  at  immense  sacrifice,  he 
returned  with  the  view  of  endeavoring  once  more  to  bring 
about  a reconciliation  between  the  Namaquas  and  the  Dama- 
ras. 

Next  to  the  love  and  worship  which  we  owe  to  our  Creator, 
must  be  ranked  the  love  of  our  own  species.  This  Divine  doc 
trine  recalls  those  beautiful  lines  by  Leigh  Hunt: — 

“ Abou  Ben  Adhem  (may  Iiis  tribe  increase !) 

Awoke  one  night  from  a deep  dream  of  peace, 

And  saw,  within  the  moonlight  in  his  room, 

Making  it  rich,  and  like  a lily  in  bloom, 

An  angel  writing  in  a book  of  gold  : — 

Exceeding  peace  had  made  Ben  Adhem  bold, 

And  to  the  presence  in  the  room  he  said, 

‘ What  writest  thou  ?’ — the  vision  raised  its  head, 

And,  with  a look  made  of  all  sweet  accord, 

Answered,  ‘ The  names  of  tho^e  who  love  the  Lord.’ 


MU.  hahn’s  philanthropy. 


275 


‘ And  is  mine  one?’  said  Abou.  ‘ Nay,  not  so,’ 

Replied  the  angel.  Ab.ou  spoke  more  low, 

But  cheerly  still ; and  said,  1 1 pray  thee,  £hen, 

Write  me  as  one  that  loves  his  fellow-men.’ 

* 

The  angel  wrote,  and  vanished.  The  next  night 
It  came  again  with  a great  wakening  light, 

And  show’d  the  names  whom  lqye  of  God  had  bless’d, 

And  lo  ! Ben  Adhem’s  name  led  all  the  rest.” 

All  Mr.  Ilalm’s  exertions  and  painstakings,  however,  were 
in  vain.  Jonker  was  inexorable.  He  flatly  told  him  there  was 
no  occasion  for  missionaries,  since  they  themselves  were  quite 
capable  of  managing  the  affairs  of  the  country.  This  proved 
the  death-blow  to  the  Damara  mission;  for  though  Messrs. 
Schoneberg  and  Rath  continued  their  labors  for  some  time  after- 
wards, they  were  finally  compelled  to  desist. 

On  leaving  Great  Namaqua-land  the  preceding  year,  I placed 
two  teams  of  wagon-oxen  under  the  charge  of  my  friend,  Wil- 
liam Zwartbooi,  to  be  kept  ready  for  emergencies.  I now  lost 
no  time  in  sending  people  to  fetch  them  down  ; but  the  dis- 
tance was  great,  and  I could  not  expect  them  for  several  weeks 
to  come.  Through  my  interference,  Mr.  Bam  kindly  furnished 
Mr.  Reid  with  a sufficiency  of  trained  oxen  for  his  own  convey- 
ance, at  a very  moderate  cost,  which  enabled  him  to  start  for  the 
interior  with  scarcely  any  delay. 

Whilst  waiting  for  my  own  cattle,  I busied  myself  with 
arranging  my  baggage,  sketching  plans  for  the  future,  eating 
naras,  and  now  and  then  mounting  my  steed  to  chase  the 
ostrich. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  Mr.  Rath  arrived,  and,  seeing  my 
dilemma,  kindly  proposed  to  place  some  of  his  oxen  at  my  dis- 
posal as  far  as  Barmen.  I gratefully  accepted  the  disinterested 
[offer,  and  having  obtained  a few  more  oxen  from  the  Namaqua 
chief,  Jacob,  at  Scheppmansdorf,  I prepared  to  commence  my 
journey  with  one  of  the  wagons,  leaving  the  other  to  follow  as 
soon  as  my  cattle  arrived.  Rehoboth  having  been  appointed  as 
the  place  of  rendezvous , I started. 

My  course,  as  on  former  occasions,  lav  by  Tineas,  Onanis,  and 
Tjobis — places  well  known  to  the  reader.  1 saw  a good  deal  of 
game,  but  was  too  much  pressed  for  time  to  stop  and  shoot. 
Until  we  • reached  Richterfeldt,  little  or  nothing  of  interest, 
occurred.  William  and'  Bonfield,  in  rambling  about  the  hills 
one  day,  stumbled  upon  a lion,  and  it  being  the  first  time  they 
had  ever  seen  the  dreaded  beast  in  his  native  state,  they  became 
almost  petrified  with  fear. 


27  G 


piet’s  performance  with  lions. 


I also  laid  an  opportunity  of  shooting  one  of  these  animals 
Whilst  one  day  pursuing  some  gemsboks,  a lion  unexpected!! 
sprang  out  of  a bush  within  forty  or  fifty  paces  of  me.  Thi 
brute’s  sudden  appearance  somewhat  startled  me,  but  I had  si 
often  been  baulked  in  my  attempts  to  get  a shot  at  lions  that  1 
only  hesitated  for  a moment.  Accordingly,  the  lion  havin< 
■turned  round  to  look  at  me,  I took  a deliberate  aim  at  his  fore 
head  and  fired  ; and,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  with  deadly 
effect.  Indeed,  so  accurate  was  my  aim  that  it  almost  split, 
his  skull  in  two,  and,  as  a matter  of  course,  killed  him  on  thi 
spot. 

My  prize  proved  a full-grown  male  ; but  his  hide  was  s<[ 
much  worn  and  torn,  that  I did  not  deem  it  worth  the  troubli 
of  preservation. 

Lions  had  been  unusually  numerous  and  daring  during  thi 
year.  Mr.  Rath’s  wagon-driver,  Piet,  a mighty  Nimrod,  and  hii 
two  foster-sons,  had  killed  upwards  of  twenty  in  the  course  of 
a few  months.  And  many  and  wonderful  were  their  escape! 
from  these  animals. 

One  night,  the  old  man  was  awakened  by  a peculiar  noisej! 
outside  his  door,  which  was  constructed  so  as  to  shut  in  twc 
parts.  The  lower  division  was  closed,  but  the  upper  was  left 
open  on  account  of  the  oppressive  state  of  the  atmosphere. 
Quietly  taking  up  his  gun,  Piet  stole  softlj^  to  the  door,  expect- 
ing to  meet  with  a hyaena,  as  he  knew  that  one  of  these  beasts 
was  in  the  habit  of  harassing  the  goat-kids,  which,  for  bettei 
security,  he  had  kraaled  against  the  wall  of  the  house.  His 
amazement,  however,  was  great,  when,  instead  of  a hyaena,  i 
lion  stood  before  him.  Without  losing  his  presence  of  mind,  la 
poked  the  muzzle  of  the  piece  against  the  animal’s  head  and 
blew  out  his  brains. 

Again : riding  along  one  morning  in  a very  weak  state,  hay- 
ing just  recovered  from  a severe  fever,  a lion  suddenly  rushed  al 
him.  The  ox  became  frightened,  and  threw  the  old  man.  Out 
of  his  feet  was  caught  in  the  stirrup  ; but,  fortunately,  tin 
“ veld”  shoe  slipped  off.  “ I know,”  said  the  veteran,  hunter 
“ I was  thrown,  and  that  I got  on  my  legs  again,  but  in  whaf 
manner  is  quite  a mystery  to  me  to  this  day.  I called,  as  lour 
as  my  feeble  voice  permitted,  to  my  people  to  bring  a gun,  thi 
lion  always  getting  nearer  and  nearer,  until  he  stood  withir 
arm’s  length.  I once  or  twice  tried  to  pullout  my  pistol  oi 
my  sword-knife,  which,  as  you  know,  I usually  carry  abouij 
with  me,  but  in  my  anxiety  I missed  them.  My  jacket  was 
lying  just  in  front  of  me  on  the  ground,  but  the  brute  had  ont 


A ifON  GOES  TO  CHURCH. 


277 


of  his  paws  on  it.  I felt  desperate,  however,  and  pulling  it 
forcibly  away,  struck  the  lion  on  the  head,  when  he  grinned  and 
growled  terribly,  and  I expected  every  moment  he  would  tear 
me  to  pieces.  At  this  juncture,  my  Damara,  who  fortunately 
had  heard  my  cries  of  distress,  came  running  up  with  my  gun. 
Taking  the  piece  from  the  man,  I fired  at  the  lion,  who  had  re- 
treated a few  paces,  where  he  sat  quietly  looking  at  me  I 
don’t  know  whether  I hit  him,  for  what  with  the  sudden  fright, 
and  my  weak  constitution,  I felt  very  unsteady.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  it  had,  at  all  events,  the  effect  of  scaring  him  away, 
for,  at  the  report  of  the  gun,  he  instantly  betook  himself . to 
cover.” 

On  another  occasion,  when  the  missionary  wagon  was  on  its 
road  to  Walfisch  Bay,  a lion  sprang  unexpectedly  into  the 
midst  of  the  sleeping  party,  which  was  bivouacking  at  the  time 
on  the  banks  of  the  Kubakop  river.  One  of  Piet’s  sons,  who 
;was  present,  picked  up  his  gun  from  the  ground  ; but,  in  order 
;o  prevent  the  dew  from  injuring  it,  he  had  wrapped  his  waist- 
joat  round  the  lock,  and,  in  the  hurry,  he  was  unable  to  disen- 
gage the  garment.  Finding,  however,  that  the  lion  was  just 
ibout  to  lay  hold  of  him,  he  held  out  the  piece  and  fired  at 
•andom,  but  fortunately  with  deadly  effect. 

Once  a lion  found  his  way  into  the  church  at  Richterfeldt 1 
The  alarm  being  given,  the  Damaras,  assegai  in  hand,  rushed  to 
he  spot,  and,  seizing  him  by  the  tail  and  ears,  dragged  him 
podily  out  of  the  sacred  edifice..  The  poor  brute  was  actually 
lying  from  starvation,  and  offered  but  a very  feeble  resistance. 

. saw  his  skin. 

At  Barmen  I was  obliged  to  leave  Mr.  Rath’s  cattle;  but  by 
he  assistance  of  Mr.  Hahn’s  wagon-driver,  who,  on  reasonable 
errns,  lent  me  half-a-dozen  first-rate  oxen,  I was  able  to  prose- 
'ute  my  journey.  On  arriving  at  Eikhams-,  I met  my  friend 
Reid,  who  had  been  very  successful  in  the  disposal  of  his  stocK- 
n-trade.  I saw  Jonker ; but,  though  he  was  civil  and  obliging, 
he  constant  forfeiture  of  his  word  had  disgusted  me,  and  I felt 
ompelled  to  treat  him  with  great  coolness  and  reserve. 

Before  leaving  Eikhams,  an  accident  occurred  that  might  have 
nded  seriously.  A half-cast  native  lad,  whom  Eyebrecht  had 
’laced  at  my  disposal,  was  the  occasion  of  it.  Though  a shrewd 
outh,  he  was  cursed  with  a passionate  temper.  The  Nama- 
uas  had  been  teasing  him  for  some  time,  when,  suddenly  un- 
hiding his  clasp-knife,  he  threatened  to  stab  the  nearest  man, 
ut  was  quickly  deprived  of  the  deadly  instrument.  His  blood 
ras  up,  however;  and,  seeing  my  rifle  standing  against  the  wall  of 


278  THE  AUTHOR  SAVES  KAMAPYU’s  LIFE. 


the  old  church,  he  made  a rush  for  it,  and  was  about  to  discharge 
the  contents  into  one  of  his  tormentors,  when,  throwing  myself 
hurriedly  between  the  contending  parties,  I fortunately  pre- 
vented the  catastrophe.  Being  now  convinced  that  a storm  was 
brewing,  I quickly  pushed  the  boy  through  the  door  of  the 
building,  and  placed  myself  resolutely  at  the  entrance. 

Notwithstanding  the  Namaquas  would  not  hesitate  to  shoot 
any  of  their  slaves  for  the  smallest  offense,  they  consider  such  an 
act,  on  the  part  of  one  of  the  subjected  race  against  his  master, 
to  be  of  so  atrocious  a character,  that  they  would  undoubtedly 
have  torn  the  lad  to  pieces,  had  I not  been  present.  As  it 
was,  they  rose  to  a man.  and  swore  they  would  have  his  life. 
The  boy,  on  his  part,  instead  of  betraying  any  symptoms  of 
fear,  was  foaming  with  rage ; and,  had  I permitted  it,  would 
unhesitatingly  have  attacked  the  whole  party. 

Finding  that  I was  determined  to  foil  them  of  their  victim, 
they  turned  their  ire  on  me.  I quietly  told  them  that  the  lad 
was  in  my  employ,  and  that,  if  they  left  him  alone,  I would 
duly  investigate  the  matter,  and,  should  I find  him  guilty, 
would  punish  him  severely.  But,  if  they  chose  to  take  the  law( 
into  their  own  hands,  they  must  look  to  the  consequences,  for 
they  should  only  pass  to  the  youth  over  my  body.  This  some- 
what cooled  their  rage,  and,  after  much  parleying,  the  matter j 
was  finally  and  peacefully  settled. 

Many  a time  since  has  the  same  boy,  by  the  violence  of  his 
* temper,  placed  me  and  himself  in  the  most  critical  positions,, 
and  I often  marveled  that  he  was  not  killed.  At  last  he  re- 
ceived a severe  lesson.  Having,  one  day,  coquetted  with  some 
Kalahari  women,  the  indignant  husband  or  parent  sent  him  off 
with  two  poisoned  arrows,  one  of  which  pierced  his  nose,  and 
the  other  transfixed  his  arm.  For  a short  time  he  suffered  ago- 
nies, but  escaped  with  his  life.  1 

Excepting  his  passionate  temper,  he  was  an  excellent  fellow — 
honest,  willing,  obliging,  industrious,  enduring,  but,  above  all, 
an  inimitable  “ tracker.”  Indeed,  in  this  respect  he  surpassed! 
the  bushmen.  Many  a weary  mile  have  I trodden  under  his 
able  guidance,  and  many  a wild  beast  have  I laid  low  by  his  as- 
sistance. His  sight  was  also  remarkable.  I rather  pride  my- 
self on  my  experience  as  a woodsman,  and  usually  proved  a 
match  for  the  natives  ; but  this  youth  beat  me  hollow.  My 
men  called  him  Kamapyu — a most  appropriate  name,  since  it 
signified  hot  water.  I was  at  last  compelled  to  part  with  him, 
which  I did  with  considerable  reluctance.  I rewarded  his 
services,  which  had  proved  invaluable  to  me,  by  a variety  of 


GRIQUA  ELEPHANT  Hv'NTERS. 


<>7L 

Mi  U 

things,  besides  sufficient  cattle  to  buy  him  half  a dozen  wives, 
an  acquisition  which,  next  to  carnivorous  food,  is  the  greatest 
bliss  of  a savage. 

After  my  departure  from  Jonker’s,  I directed  my  steps  to- 
wards Cornelius.  On  taking  leave  of  this  chief  the  previous 
year,  I promised  forthwith  to  return  with  a supply  of  goods, 
provided  he  and  his  people  behaved  themselves  satisfactorily. 
In  order  to  save  time,  I dispatched  a messenger  to  acquaint  him 
with  my  approach,  as  also  to  request  him  to  call  his  tribe  to- 
gether, and  urge  them  to  bring  such  cattle  as  they  desired  to 
dispose  of.  My  wish  was  attended  to;  for,  on  arriving  at  the 
werfr,  I found  about  two  hundred  head  of  cattle  waiting  for  me, 
which,  after  some  little  bargaining,  I secured  in  the  course  of 
two  days.  I had  the  misfortune,  however,  to  lose  a small  por- 
i tion  of  this  number,  which  broke  through  the  kraal  in  the  night, 
and  were  never  again  heard  of.  I strongly  suspect  they  were 
' stolen  by  the  original  owners.  I had  also  the  mishap  to  get  my 
| telescope  spoiled.  Being,  probably,  smitten  by  the  lustre  of  the 
metal,  the  mischievous  Namaqua  lads  extracted  the  object  glass, 
which  could  be  of  no  earthly  use  to  them,  except  as  an  ornament. 

About  this  time  two  of  my  horses  died  of  the  “ horse-sick- 
■ ness.”  One  still  remained,  and  though  a remarkably  fleet  ani- 
mal, was  so  shy  as  to  be  useless  as  a hunter.  He  was  the  same 
that  ran  away  with  me  at  Cape-Town.  The  natives  offered  to 
buy  him  at  a great  price  ; but  I had  made  up  my  mind  that,  rather 
■than  go  without  him,  I would  run  the  risk  of  losing  him  by  the 
fearful  distemper  in  question.  However,  he  lived  to  see  the 
Lake,  where  I finally  disposed  of  him. 

Some  days  after  my  arrival  at  Cornelius’  werft,  my  old  friend, 

SAmral,  made  his  appearance.  He  was  accompanied  by  a party 
of  Griquas,1  from  whom  I learnt  much  to  interest  me. 

In  the  hope  of  meeting  with  elephants,  they  had  crossed  the 
. Kalahari  direct  from  their  own  country,  but  had  suffered  great 
privations;  for  though,  from  all  appearances,  water  must  hate 
been  abundant  in  the  rainy  season,  the  desert  was  fearfully  drv 
when  they  passed  through  it.  They  had  occasionally  been  as 
nuch  as  nine  consecutive  days  without  a drop  of  water,  but 
sustained  their  own  lives,  and  those  of  their  quadrupeds,  by 
sucking  and  eating  the  wild  gourd,  which,  fortunately,  covered 
she  waste  in  great  abundance.  To  lessen  the  bitterness  of  the 
uice,  they  first -cooked  or  roasted  the  fruit. 


1 Descendants  of  Dutch  farmers  and  Hottentot  women  ; and  hence  alw  called 
Bastards. 


280 


ARRIVAL  AT  REHOBOTH. 


The  party,  which  consisted  of  no  less  than  forty-seven  wagons, 
had  penetrated  to  within  a few  days  of  the  Lake  Ngami;  but. 
not  finding  elephants,  they  retraced  their  steps.  A certain 
portion  of  the  country  they  had  visited  was  infested  by  the 
“tsetse,”  by  whose  poisonous  bites  they  Lad  lost  some  of  the 
cattle  and  horses.  The  “horse-sickness”  also  prevailed. 

I engaged,  as  Bechuana  interpreter,  one  of  the  Griquas,  who 
nad  visited  the  lake  by  the  ordinary  route  {via  Kuruman).  He 
spoke  of  the  inhabitants  as  civil  and  hospitable,  but  warned  me 
against  the  Dutch  farmers,  should  I fall  in  with  any.  I was 
well  aware  of  their  troublesome  disposition  ; but,  of  course, 
made  due  allowance  for  the  exaggerations  of  an  individual 
belonging  to  a nation  who  are  sworn  enemies  to  the  boers. 
The  Griquas  supposed  that  Ngami  might  be  reached  in  nine 
days  from  Tunobis  (the  furthest  point  to  the  eastward  reached 
by  Mr.  Galton  about  a year  and  a half  ago),  and  said  that  two 
or  three  fountains  existed  on  the  road. 

On  the  17th  of  March  I found  myself  at  Rehoboth,  having  iri 
little  more  than  a month,  with  borrowed  oxen,  passed  ovei 
several  hundred  miles  of  country,  and  obtained  by  bartei 
about  three  hundred  head  of  cattle.  1 felt  rather  proud  of  the 
performance.  My  other  wagons,  which  I had  ordered  to  take 
the  Kuisip  route,  had  not  yet  arrived.  I felt  disappointed,  ant 
was  unable  to  account  for  the  delay,  since  want  of  oxen  couli 
not  have  been  the  cause,  the  missionaries  having  kindly  anc 
, promptly  sent  me  more  than  one  team.  Indeed,  Onesimus  hat 
started,  with  upwards  of  forty  well-trained  beasts,  severa 
•weeks  previously  to  my  reaching  the  station,  and  I began  to 
fear  that  some  evil  had  befallen  them. 

Whilst  abiding  their  forthcoming,  I busied  myself  in  mapping 
the  country,  and  exploring  the  neighborhood.  Close  to  tin 
station  rose  some  conspicuous  masses  of  granite  (on  Mr.  Galton’ 
map  erroneously  termed  limestone),  interspersed  with  largi 
quantities  of  glittering  quartz.  From  the  highest  peak 
obtained  a fine  and  extensive  view  of  the  surrounding  country 
The  beautiful  table-mountain  of  Tans,  visible  from  many  points 
stood  out  in  bold  relief  against  the  western  horizon.  In  a clea 
atmosphere  it  may  be  distinguished  at  an  immense  distant 
Thus,  it  can  be  discerned  at  Onanis,  from  the*  top  of  “ Wit 
water”  range,  at  Rehoboth,  and  even  considerably  to  the  soutl 
on  the  Fish  river. 

Sir  James  Alexander,  in  his  journey  to  Walfisch  Bay  fron 
the  Orange  river,  climbed  Tans  mountain,  and  considered  it 
elevation  to  be  about  4,000  feet ; but  he  does  not  say  whethel 


COPPER  OR  E J O N A T H A N AFRIKA. 


281 

above  the  plain  or  the  level  of  the  sea.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
however,  I do  not  think  either  estimation  correct.  Mr.  Voll- 
mer,  who  once,  with  great  labor,  crossed  the  table  of  Tans  in 
his  own  wagon,  informed  me  that  its  western  aspect,  or  side 
facing  the  Kuisip,  is  very  steep  and  high,  but  the  eastern  slope 
[is  gradual,  and  not  a great  deal  elevated  above  the  plain. 

The  rocks  all  about  Rehoboth  are  strongly  impregnated  witli 
copper,  and  specimens  of  the  ore,  of  a very  productive  quality 
(forty  to  ninety  per  cent),  are  occasionally  found.  I presented 
Mr.  Reid  with  several  pieces,  giving  him  permission  to  use  them 
[as  he  thought  fit.  I advised  him,  however,  to  get  them 
analyzed  by  Mr.  Schmieterleuv,  whom  I knew  to  be  a straight- 
forward man,  but  he  preferred  to  subject  them  to  his  own 

friend,  Dr.  G . After  about  a year’s  absence,  I met  Mr. 

Reid  again,  and,  on  asking  him  what  advantage  he  had  derived 
from  the  copper  I gave  to  him,  he  replied,  “ None  whatever. 

Dr.  G declared  the  specimens  were  worthless.  Yet,  not  long 

afterwards,  he  went  into  partnership  with  a certain  merchant 
m the  strength  of  these  identical  specimens.”  So  much  for 
[friendship  ! 

Captain  Zwartbooi’s  people  had  started  off  to  Damara-land 
ander  pretext  of  looking  out  for  fountains,  but  the  sequel 
proved  it  was  solely  with  a view  of  stealing  cattle.  The  exam- 
jle  set  them  by  Jonker,  Cornelius,  and  others,  was  too  strong 
;o  be  longer  withstood. 

One  evening,  Jonathan  Afrika  presented  himself  at  the 
station.  I had  already,  at  Barmen,  seen  this  man,  who  was  of 
Jechuana  extraction,  but  had  been  brought  up  amongst  civilized 
people.  A shrewder  fellow  I never  came  across.  He  bore  an 
excellent  character  throughout  the  country.  When  he  first 

irrived,  he  accompanied  Mr.  M , the  trader,  in  whose  service 

le  suffered  much  privation. 

Jonathan,  who  soon  afterwards  entered  into  my  service,  was 
1 1 man  of  great  courage,  and  an  excellent  marksman.  He  had 
hared  many  a hunting  exploit  with  his  friend  Hans,  and  had 
nade  numerous  lions  bite  the  dust. 

On  one  occasion,  Jonathan  was  riding  leisurely  along,  when 
uddenly,  a short  distance  in  advance  of  him,  a fine  lion  rushed 
iut  of  the  bushes.  Throwing  himself  quickly  off  the  ox,  lie’ 
;ave  chase  to  the  beast,  calling  out  loudly  : “ Nay,  stop  a little. 
?o-day  we  must,  indeed,  talk  with  each  other.”  Whether  the 
ion  thought  he  could  not  escape,  or  that  he  considered  his 
ignity  concerned,  I shall  not  presume  to  say,  but,  at  all  events, 
| e stopped  to  look  at  his  pursuer.  No  sooner,  however,  had  he 


282 


A LION  SUPS  ON  A GOAT. 


turned  his  head,  than  a well-directed  ball  entered  one  of  hit 
eyes  and  laid  him  low  in  an  instant. 

After  waiting  at  Rehoboth  for  about  a week,  I had  th< 
satisfaction  to  see  my  men  and  wagon  arrive  in  safety.  Tht 
cause  of  the  delay  had  been  the  nature  of  the  road,  the  greate; 
part  of  which  consisted  of  a succession  of  sand  ridges,  as  bad  at 
those  at  Scheppmansdorf.  The  oxen  were  good,  and  more  that 
sufficient  to  do  the  work,  but  from  want  of  yokes,  they  couli 
only  make  use  of  twelve  at  a time. 

The  men  had  also  been  much  plagued  by  lions.  One  fine  moon 
light  night,  just  as  they  had  unyoked  at  the  base  of  a small  sand 
hill,  one  of  these  animals  appeared  immediately  above.  Afte 
having  eyed  them  for  a moment,  he  dashed  in  amongst  the  goats 
and  before  the  men  could  get  their  guns  in  order,  he  was  out  o 
harm’s  way  with  one  of  the  quadrupeds. 

At  another  time,  a lion  made  a rush  at  the  cattle  when  a 
pasture,  who  fled  pecipitately  into  a defile,  where,  not  finding  a 
outlet,  they  faced  about  and  confronted  their  fierce  antagonisi 
The  beast  evidently  dreaded  the  forest  of  bristling  horns,  foi 
after  having  paced  to  and  fro  at  the  entrance  of  the  pass  th 
best  part  of  the  night,  keeping  cattle  and  men  in  great  tribi 
lation  by  his  savage  growls,  he  slunk  off  towards  morning. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


DISPATCH  CATTLE  TO  THE  CAPE TERRIBLE  THUNDER-STORM TREES  STRUCK 

BY  LIGHTNING — THE  NOSOP  RIVER A COMET THE  AUTHOR  NEARLY 

POISONED SOME  OF  THE  MEN  ABSCOND  ; THEY  RETURN  TO  THEIR  DUTY 

BABEL-LIKE  CONFUSION  OF  TONGUES GAME  ABUNDANT AUTHOR  SHOOTS 

A GIRAFFE MEET  BUSHMEN UNSUCCESSFUL  ELEPHANT  HUNT SUFFER- 
INGS FROM  HUNGER TUNOBIS GAME  SCARCE AUTHOR  AND  STEED  EN- 
TRAPPED   PIT-FALLS THE  MEN  TURN  SULKY  PREPARATIONS  FOR 

DEPARTURE  FROM  TUNOBIS VICIOUS  PACK-OXEN CONSEQUENCES  OF 

EXCESSIVE  FATIGUE THE  JACKAL’S  HANDY-WORK TRACKS  OF  ELEPHANTS 

MORE  PIT-FALLS LOSS  OF  THE  ANGLO-SAXON  LION  AND  THE  SWEDISH 

CROSS REACH  GHANZE. 

On  the  1st  of  April  I dispatched  my  cattle  (three  hundred 
and  sixty  in  number)  to  the  Cape  in  charge  of  old  Piet,  Thomas 
Gibbons,  William,  and  two  or  three  Damaras.  The  first-m  en- 
rolled was  well  accustomed  to  a large  drove  of  oxen,  and  was 
the  only  one  of  the  party  in  whom  I had  any  confidence.  Under 
such  circumstances,  it  was,  perhaps,  natural  that  I should  feel 
some  misgivings  about  their  safe  arrival.  But  I placed  my  trust 
in  that  same  Providence  who  had  hitherto  watched  over  the 
lonely  stranger,  firm  in  the  conviction  that,  whatever  befell  me 
or  my  property  (both  of  which  I was  about  to  risk  in  the  cause 
of  humanity  and  civilization),  would  be  for  the  best. 

Fearing,  from  experience,  that  wagons  would  be  only  an  in- 
cumbrance, and  impede  the  dispatch,  if  not  defeat  the  success, 
of  my  expedition  to  the  Ngami,  I parted  with  them.  As  I knew, 
however,  that  the  road  as  far  as  Tunobis  was  practical  for  wheel- 
carriages,  I borrowed  an  old  battered  vehicle  for  the  occasion, 
intending  to  send  it  back  with  Eyebrecht.  Thence  I purposed 
'ursuing  the  journey  with  pack-and-ride  oxen.  This,  though 


284 


TERRIBLE  THUNDER-STORM. 


the  most  eligible  plan,  subjects  the  traveler  to  much  hardship 
and  inconvenience,  from  exposure  to  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather,  and  the  very  small  stock  of  provisions,  etc.,  that  can 
be  conveyed. 

Up  to  this  period  the  men  had  worked  well  and  willingly  ; 
but  the  day  on  which  I bade  farewell  to  the  hospitable  mission- 
ary roof  (5th  of  April),  Timbo  became  sulky  and  expressed  a 
wish  to  return  to  the  Cape,  from  which  I had  some  difficulty  in 
persuading  him.  It  was  the  first  time  I had  real  cause  for  being 
dissatisfied  with  the  man,  but  not  the  last. 

Four  days  after  this  little  difficulty  was  got  over,  it  came  on 
to  rain  so  tremendously,  that  it  seemed  as  if  we  were  going  to 
have  another  deluge.  For  three  days  and  as  many  nights,  it 
continued  to  pour  down  with  scarcely  any  intermission.  The 
scriptural  expression,  “The  windows  of  heaven  were  opened,” 
might  indeed  have  been  here  realized.  During  the  last  twelve 
hours  the  thunder  and  lightning  were  truly  appalling,  and  per- 
fectly stunned  and  blinded  us.  Peal  after  peal,  flash  after  flash, 
followed  in  rapid  succession — re-echoed  and  reflected  from  a 
hundred  peaks.  Trees  were  broken  short  off  or  torn  up  by  the 
roots  by  the  violence  of  the  wind. 

“ The  clouds, 

From  many  a horrid  rift,  abortive  pour’d 
Fierce  rain  with  lightning  mix’d,  water  with  fire 
In  ruin  reconciled  ; nor  slept  the  winds 
Within  their  stony  caves,  but  rush’d  abroad 
From  the  four  hinges  of  the  world,  and  fell 
On  the  vexed  wilderness,  whose  tallest  pines, 

(Though  rooted  deep  as  high),  and  sturdiest  oaks, 

Bow’d  their  stiff'  necks,  loaden  with  stormy  blast 
Or  torn  up  sheer.” 

The  men’s  tent,  which  was  secured  with  numerous  strong 
straps  to  the  side  of  the  wagon,  was  carried  bodily  away,  and 
men  and  quadrupeds  were  literally  swimming  in  the  torrent, 
which,  rushing  down  with  irresistible  fury  from  the  slopes  of 
the  hills,  swept  over  our  camping  ground.  The  poor  dogs  howl- 
ed from  fear  and  suffering.  Every  moment  I expected  to  see 
the  wagon  capsized  by  the  blast,  or,  what  was  worse,  struck  by 
lightning,  as  we  had  somewhat  incautiously  encamped  under  a 
kameel-doorn  boom,  which  is  one  of  the  most  certain  of  conduct- 
ors. Indeed,  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  full-grown  trees  of  this 
kind  are  found  splintered  by  the  electric  fluid. 

So  completely  did  this  deluge  saturate  and  swamp  the  locality, 
that  for  two  days  after  the  rains  had  ceased  we  were  unable  to 


THE  X O S O P RIVE  R A HAPPY  FAMILY.  286 


move;  yet  such  is  the  partial  operation  even  of  such  thunder 
storms  as  we  had  just  endured,  that,  after  traveling  a day  or  two 
further  to  the  eastward,  we  all  but  perished  from  thirst,  and  the 
vegetation  was  parched  and  sunburnt ! 

Our  route  lay  through  a country  similar  in  character  to  that 
traveled  over  by  Mr.  Galton  and  myself,  about'a  year  and  a half 
previously,  in  our  journey  to  the  eastward — namely,  large  sandy 
plains,  richly  covered  with  line  grass  and  brushwood,  with  occa- 
sional clusters  of  kameel-thorn  trees.  Water  was  very  scarce. 

From  the  number  of  bleached  bones  of  rhinoceroses,  giraffes, 
and  other  wild  beasts  scattered  about,  it  was  evident  that  game 
had  at  one  time  been  abundant  in  these  parts  ; but  the  introduc- 
tion of  fire-arms  amongst  the  If  am  aquas  had  either  put  an  end 
to  the  animals,  or  scared  them  away  to  less  peopled  haunts. 
With  the  exception  of  hyaenas  and  jackals,  beasts  of  any  size 
were  scarce. 

In  about  a fortnight  we  reached  the  Nosop  river,  near  to  its 
junction  with  the  black  Nosop.  The  two  streams,  when  united, 
How  under  the  common  name  of  Nosop  ; and,  though  nothing  is 
known  of  the  course  of  this  river  three  days  south  of  Wesley 
Vale,  it  is  believed  ultimately  to  make  its  way  to  the  Orange 
river.  Indeed,  the  fact  offish  having  been  found  in  the  pools  at 
Elephant  Fountain,  of  similar  kind  to  those  inhabiting  the  Garieb 
(the  Orange)  river,  strengthens  the  supposition. 

I had  ordered  Eyebrecht  to  meet  me  on  the  Nosop,  and  I 
found  him  in  company  with  a handsome  Griqua  girl,  whom  he 
had  married  according  to  the  fashion  of  the  Namaquas.  The 
union  bade  fair  to  be  a fruitful  one,  for  the  happy  couple  were 
already  blessed  with  an  infant.  The  face  of  the  tawny-com- 
plexioned  husband  was  beaming  with  paternal  pride  and  satis- 
faction. He  was  living  with  his  father-in-law  (Jan  Zaal),  a 
great  hunter,  with  whom  I also  took  up  my  quarters  for  a short 
time.  The  people  wrnre  exceedingly  kind  to  me,  and  remark 
ably  clean  and  neat  in  all  their  household  arrangements. 
Besides,  I enjoyed  an  unlimited  supply  of  sweet  and  sour  milk 
both  of  which  I greatlv  relished. 

During  my  stay  on  the  Nosop,  I observed  for  several  night* 
a remarkable  comet.  On  the  last  of  April,  about  eight  o’clock 
in  the  evening,  when  about  to  set,  the  latitude  being  23®  S., 
it  bore  296°  by  compass. 

Having  engaged  my  host’s  son,  Klaas  Zaal,  to  accompany  me 
as  a wagon-driver  as  far  Tunobis,  whence  he  and  Eyebrecht 
were  to  return,  I was  again  on  the  move  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
4th  of  May.  For  a day  or  two,  we  followed  the  right  bank  of 


2315  -SOME  OP  THE  SERVANTS  ABSCOND. 

the  white  Nosop,  and  then  crossed  over  to  the  other  branch, 
where  in  order  to  explore  the  road  before  us,  we  rested  a couple 
of  days. 

Having  proceeded  one  morning  in  search  of  game,  I became 
very  hungry;  and,  observing  an  inviting  bean-looking  fruit,  I 
ate  greedily  of  it ; but  it  nearly  cost  me  my  life.  I was  seized 
with  giddiness,  vomiting,  and  racking  pains,  and  arrived  in  a 
staggering  and  bewildered  state  at  our  camp,  completely  ex-  || 
hausted.  I then  learnt  that  the  pulse  I had  eaten,  in  a raw 
state,  was  highly  deleterious ; but,  if  cooked,  could  not  only  bo 
■eaten  with  impunity,  but  was  really  beneficial. 

Almost  from  my  first  entrance  into  the  country,  thinking 
that  I might  one  day  be  obliged  to  live  on  bushman  diet,  I 
partook  eagerly  of  every  root,  bulb,  berry,  etc.,  that  grew  wild 
about  the  country ; but  always  (with  the  exception  of  the  above 
instance)  took  the  precaution  first  to  ascertain  from  the  natives 
its  properties.  I derived  benefit  from  this  plan  ; for  when  ordi- 
nary food  failed  me,  I could  at  all  events  contrive  to  exist  for  a 
time  on  this  rude  fare. 

On  returning  one  day  to  the  camp  from  a fatiguing  hunt,  I 
found  that  all  my  Damaras  had  absconded.  I was  astonished 
and  vexed  beyond  measure  ; for  the  greater  part  had  been  long 
in  my  employ  and  had  proved  themselves  very  faithful.  One 
of  them  had,  only  the  day  previously,  been  telling  me  that  un- 
less I drove  him  forcibly  away,  he  would  never  abandon  me, 
but  would  share  my  fortune  whether  good  or  bad.  I soon  dis- 
covered that  Timbo  had  caused  the  defection.  I had  appointed  j 
him  head-man  of  the  servants  ; but,  he  being  dark  complexioned, 
the  Damaras  did  not  like  to  be  ruled  by  one  so  much  reseni- ' 
bling  themselves. 

In  the  first  burst  of  anger,  I declared  I would  do  without 
them,  and  that  I would  punish  them  severely  on  my  return. |j 
A moment’s  reflection,  however,  convinced  me  that  both  for  my 
own  sake,  and  by  way  of  example  to  the  remainder  of  the  men, 
it  was  necessary,  if  possible,  to  bring  them  back  to  their  duty.  ; 
Eyebrecht  was  accordingly  dispatched  on  this  errand.  After 
several  days’  absence,  he  returned  with  the  runaways  ; and  as 
they  looked  penitent,  I thought  it  best  to  pass  the  offense 
quietly  over  and  say  nothing. 

At  Twass,  the  head  quarters  of  Lambert,  Amral’s  eldest  son 
— a chief  of  even  greater  importance  than  his  father — I was 
joined  by  Piet,  the  Gfriqua,  who  was  to  accompany  me  to  the 
Lake  in  the  capacity  of  interpreter.  He  knew  the  Bechuaua 
language  tolerably  well,  and,  as  a matter  of  course,  spoke  Dutch 


NEW  ROUTE AUTHOR  SHOOTS  A GIRAFFE. 


287 


fluently.  Onesimus  also  knew  a smattering  of  this  last  tongue, 
and  was  perfect  in  the  Damara  and  Namaqua.  Louis  was  pretty 
well  versed  in  Portuguese,  and  the  different  dialects  of  the 
countries  bordering  upon  the  settlements  about  the  Mozambique- 
channel.  Personally,  I could  make  myself  understood,  in  more 
than  one  European  language;  and  this  Babel-like  confusion  was 
completed  by  Timbo’s  patois. 

The  preceding  year,  when  our  steps  were  pointed  in  the  same 
direction  as  at  present,  we  traveled  on  the  summit  of  the  low 
range  of  hills  which  take  their  rise  near  to  Twass,  extending 
eastward.  We  were  then  on  saddle-oxen  ; but  from  what  we 
saw  of  the  country  we  deemed  it  nearly  impracticable  for  wag- 
ons. I therefore  determined  to  strike  through  the  woods  at 
the  base  of  the  hills  in  question,  or  along  the  valley  intervening 
between  them  and  another  mountain  range  running  in  the  same 
direction.  The  soil  proved  exceedingly  soft  and  yielding,  and 
the  bushes  harassing;  yet  this  new  route  was  preferable  to  the 
other. 

We  saw  a good  deal  of  game,  chiefly  of  the  larger  kinds  ; but 
the  animals  were  wary,  and  I shot  badly.  My  horse  was  so 
unsteady  as  to  be  of  little  or  no  use.  His  speed  was  great;  he 
was  a match  for  the  swiftest  ante  lops  ; but  when  I fired  from 
his  back,  he  was  very  apt  to  start  on  one  side.  If  his  rider,  at 
such  times,  was  not  on  his  guard,  the  chances  were  in  favor  of 
his  being  dismounted.  One  day,  Eyebrecht  begged  eagerly  to 
be  allowed  to  try  his  hand  on  the  giraffes,  which  abounded  in 
this  locality.  His  request  was  granted,  and  I lent  him  my  horse, 
though  we  well  knew  what  would  be  the  result.  After  nearly 
a whole  days  absence,  he  returned,  when  the  men  hailed  him 
with  shouts  off  laugh  ter,  as  his  appearance  too  plainly  indicated 
his  misfortunes.  But,  notwithstanding  his  flushed  face  and  torn 
and  soiled  dress,  he  stoutly  denied  having  been  thrown.  It  so 
happened,  however,  that  the  very  next  day  we  passed  a spot 
where  he  had  been  chasing  a herd  of  giraffes,  and  where  we 
could  distinctly  see  the  marks  of  how  the  scared  horse  had  been 
dragging  Eyebrecht  along  the  ground  for  a considerable  dis- 
tance. 

On  arriving  at  Elephant-Kloof,  we  had  better  success.  My 
first  prize  consisted  of  a magnificent  giraffe,  which  dropped 
dead  to  the  first  shot — the  only  instance  I recollected  of  killing 
this  animal  outright  with  a single  bullet.  I never  before  or 
since  (excepting,  perhaps,  a cow-elephant)  saw  so  fat  an  animal. 
The  flesh  was  delicious,  and  I thought  my  men  would  kill 
themselves  by  gorging.  Indeed,  Bontield  became  seriously  ill. 


2SP  UNSUCCESSFUL  elephant  hunt. 

and,  for  a whole  week,  was  unable  to  take  nourishment  of  an 
description,  not  even  coffee.  Everything  he  tried  to  swallow 
was  instantly  rejected.  At  one  time,  I became  apprehensive 
for  his  safety.  My  Griqjua  guide  also  got  indisposed  from  feed 
ing  too  heartily  on  an  oily  ostrich. 

From  the  midst  of  abundance,  we  were — or  rather  I was — 
soon  reduced  to  the  other  extreme.  When  half  way  to  Otji- 
ombinde,  we  encountered  some  bushmen,  who  persuaded  me  to 
go  in  search  of  elephants,  which  they  said  abounded  at  no  great 
distance.  A person  might  visit  the  place  they  frequented,  and 
come  back  the  same  day.  Having  hastily  made  a few  arrange- 
ments, I set  out  ; but,  foolishly  relying  on  their  statements, 
provided  myself  with  only  one  small  slice  of  raw  flesh,  which, 
after  a while,  in  the  full  anticipation  of  a quick  and  successful 
return,  I gave  to  the  half-starved  “children  of  the  desert.”  I 
was  sadly  out  of  reckoning,  however;  for,  instead  of  it  being 
merely  a few  hours  to  the  water  in  question,  we  traveled  a 
whole  day,  at  a brisk  pace,  before  reaching  our  destination. 

We  were  now  at  the  beginning  of  the  cold  season,  and  the 
nights  had  already  attained  a very  low  temperature.  The  day 
had  been  oppressively  hot ; we  had  journeyed  rapidly  ; and,  in 
the  hurry,  I had  come  away  without  my  coat.  As  evening  set 
in,  T felt  a deadly  chill  stealing  over  me  ; and  though  we  found 
fuel,  I deemed  it  necessary  to  do  with  as  little  fire  as  possible, 
for  fear  of  alarming  the  elephants,  should  they  make  their 
appearance.  Thrusting  my  head  into  a bush,  and  bundling  my 
body  in  as  small  a compass  as  was  possible,  I spent  a long  and 
comfortless  night. 

At  break  of  day  w«  were  stirring.  On  arriving  at  the  water, 
which  was  not  far  distant  from  our  bivouac,  we  had  the  satis- 
faction to  discover  the  fresh  tracks  of  elephants,  but  out  of 
the  troop  that  had  visited  the  place,  there  was  only  one  bull. 
His  tracks  were  of  course  selected  in  preference  to  the  rest; 
but  though  we  followed  them  perseveringly  till  near  sunset, 
all  our  endeavors  to  come  up  with*  the  animal  proved  vain. 

Hungry,  disheartened,  and  exhausted,  we  retraced  our  steps 
to  the  bivouac,  where  we  spent  another  more  cheerless  night. 
Two  days  had  now  elapsed  without  my  having  tasted  a morsel 
of  food,  nor  did  I obtain  any  until  I reached  my  own  people  at 
the  expiration  of  the  third  day.1 

1 On  accidentally  mentioning  my  fast  to  Captain  Stuart,  the  distinguished 
Australian  traveler,  he  assured  me  it  was  a mere  trifle  to  what  he  himself  had 
once  suffered,  having  been  six  aDd  a half  consecutive  days  without  nourishment 
of  any  kind  ! 


SUFFERINGS  FROM  HUNGE  R A DILEMMA.  2S9 


During  the  last  twelve  hours,  I am  free  to  confess,  I was 
almost  ravenous  enough  to  eat  my  shoe-soles,  and  probably 
might  have  done  so  had  time  and  opportunity  permitted  to  boil 
them  down  to  a jelly.  Contrary  to  custom,  the  field  we  had 
traversed  was  destitute  of  eatables  of  any  sort.  Once,  indeed, 
I observed  a small  antelope,  but  the  animal  only  seemed  to 
mock  our  sufferings  ; for,  before  I could  level  my  piece,  he 
vanished.  Seeing  the  bushmen  try  to  appease  their  hunger 
with  a bitter,  woody  substance,  I could  not  resist  the  tempt- 
ation to  taste  it,  though  warned  of  the  consequences.  But 
scarcely  had  I masticated  the  first  mouthful,  before  I was  seized 
with  tormenting  nausea  and  sickness. 

From  our  great  success  on  a former  occasion  at  Tunobis,  I 
expected  to  find  full  employment  for  my  rifle,  on  my  arrival 
there.  But,  alas!  now  that  we  stood  so  much  in  need  of 
animal  food,  not  a wild  beast  was  to  be  seen.  At  first,  one 
might  almost  be  led  to  imagine  that  the  amazing  number  of 
animals  congregated  here,  less  than  two  years  before,  must  be 
either  killed  or  driven  altogether  away  from  the  locality^ ; but 
this  was  not  the  case.  Water  was  still  to  be  found  in  the  vleys 
and  pools  at  some  distance  ; and,  until  these  were  exhausted, 
wild  animals  were  little  likely  to  visit  a spot  where  they  were 
subject  to  constant  persecution. 

One  or  two  rhinoceroses,  however,  occasionally  visited  the 
fountains,  as  appeared  by  their  tracks.  These  I determined 
to  watch,  whilst  I dispersed  my  men  over  the  adjoining  coun- 
try in  search  of  game.  One  night  a huge  animal  came  wad- 
dling along  ; but  though  I lodged  a ball  in  its  body,  it  was 
to  no  purpose.  The  men  were  equally  unsuccessful,  and 
returned,  after  several  days’  absence,  half  starved,  and  conse- 
quently as  ravenous  as  wolves.  ^They  had  encountered  several 
rhinoceroses,  zebras,  etc.;  but  they  only  wounded  or  mangled 
the  poor  beasts.  It  seemed  as  if  every  gun,  mine  included,  had 
been  bewitched. 

Tunobis,  as  often  stated  in  the  preceding  pages,  was  the 
furthest  easterly  point  which  Galton  and  myself  had  attained 
in  our  journey  towards  the  Ngami.  Every  inch  of  the  ground 
a-head  was  now  unknown,  to  Europeans  at  least.  The  bush- 
men,  it  is  true,  had  furnished  us  with  some  information  ; but  it 
was  either  too  vague  to  be  relied  upon  or  riot  applicable  to  the 
course  I intended  to  pursue.  Knowing  nearly  the  position  of 
the  Lake,  I was  anxious  to  take  as  straight  a line  as  possible  ; 
but,  on  consulting  the  few  natives  hereabout,  they  declared  that 
were  I to  do  so  it  would  be  certain  destruction  to  mvself  and 

1 A * 


290 


THE  PIT  - FALL. 


cattle,  inasmuch  as  the  “ field”  in  that  direction  was  one  howl- 
ing wilderness,  totally  destitute  of  water.  Bv  traveling  south- 
ward, however,  for  a few  stages  along  the  sandy  and  dry  water- 
course of  Otjiombinde,  I should,  they  said,  run  no  risk.  I was 
quite  at  a loss  to  know  how  far  I could  depend  on  their  inform- 
ation ; but  Piet,  the  interpreter,  who  had  crossed  the  Kalahari 
in  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season,  having  corroborated  their 
story,  I no  longer  hesitated  to  follow  their  advice. 

Before  finally  quitting  Tunobis,  an  incident  occurred  which 
bade  fair  to  finish  my  career  in  this  world.  Cantering  along 
one  day  in  the  bed  of  the  river  Otjiombinde,  with  a view  of 
ascertaining  its  course,  I all  at  once  found  myself  on  the  very 
verge  of  a pit-fall!  but  it  was  too  late,  for  at  the  moment  I 
was  about  to  rein  in  my  horse,  down  we  both  went  together, 
with  a fearful  crash,  through  the  light  net-work  of  sticks  and 
grass  that  covered  it,  to  the  bottom  of  the  gulf,  which  could 
not  have  been  less  than  ten  feet  in  depth,  though  happily  with- 
out either  of  us  breaking  our  necks  ! 

This  pit-fall  was  specially  intended  for  the  giraffe,  which 
abounded  hereabout,  and  was  very  different  in  construction  from 
those  in  use  for  elephants,  rhinoceroses,  and  other  large  animals; 
for  instead  of  a single  cavity,  it  was  divided  into  two  compart- 
ments, separated  from  each  other  by  a wall  of  earth.  Though 
I never  before  knew  the  meaning  of  this  peculiar  arrangement, 
it  was  soon  explained.  My  horse  having  recovered  somewhat 
from  his  surprise,  and  the  stunning  effects  of  the  fall,  plunged 
violently  forward,  and  endeavored  to  leap  the  wall  in  question  ; 
but  he  only  got  his  fore  quarters  over  it,  and  the  depth  of  the 
hole  preventing  him  from  touching  the  ground  either  with 
his  fore  or  hind  feet,  his  whole  weight  rested  on  his  belly;  and  j 
thus  suspended  between  earth  and  heaven,  he  became  totally 
helpless. 

Seeing  that  the  poor  animal  could  not  possibly  live  long  in 
this  position,  and  that  I was  too  far  from  camp  to  return  for  1 
assistance,  I unhesitatingly  sprang  back  into  the  pit,  from  which 
1 had  just  extricated  myself,  and  placing  my  shoulders  under 
his  chest  (my  feet  resting  against  the  pit  to  give  me  a better 
leverage),  I exerted  all  my  strength,  and  succeeded  in  pushing 
him  back  into  the  compartment  in  which  he  had  been  originally 
deposited.  Finding  that  he  was  about  to  renew  the  plunge,  I 
seized  the  bridle  with  my  left  hand  and  held  Ins  head  forcibly 
down,  whilst  with  my  right  hand,  and  by  the  aid  of  a stick  that 
I picked  up,  I scraped  away  the  soil  on  one  side  of  the  pit  sc 
that  it  became  in  a degree  an  inclined  plane  ; with  my  feet  I 


I THE  PIT-FALL.  2S>! 

also  so  lar  leveled  the  wall  that  it  formed  a kind  of  platform. 
This  matter  being  arranged,  I laid  myself  on  my  back  on  the 
edge  of  the,  pit  and  polled  stoutly  at  the  bridle.  The  horse 
understood  me,  for,  with  a violent  jerk  of  his  body,  he  sprang  on 
to  the  platform,  and  next  to  the  inclined  plane,  where  for  a 
moment  he  nearly  lost  his  equilibrium,  but  at  last  successfully 
cleared  the  abyss. 

The  poor  brute  was  so  sensible  of  the  danger  he  had  escaped, 
that,  on  finding  himself  on  firm  ground,  he  uttered  a wild,  half- 
suppressed  neighing,  or  rather  scream,  and  continued  to  tremble 
violently  for  several  minutes.  On  examining  him,  I found  he 
had  sustained  no  further  injury  than  the  loss  of  a few  inches  of 
skin  and  a quantity  of  hair.  As  for  myself,  I escaped  with  a vio- 
lent twist  of  the  neck,  which  inconvenienced  me  slightly  for 
a few  days. 


Almost  all  the  tribes  of  Southern  Africa  avail  themselves  of 
pit-falls  (often  on  a most  gigantic  scale)  for  the  capture  of  game. 
These  traps,  or  rather,  these-  lines  of  pit-falls,  are  either  con- 
structed in  the  shape  of  very  obtuse  triangles,  open  at  the  base 
and  gradually  tapering  to  a point,  where  a single,  double,  or 
treble  row  of  pits  are  dug,  into  which  the  game  is  driven  by 
shouts  and  yells;  or  they  are  formed  in  the  shape  of  a crescent 


292 


MEN  TURN  SULKY". 


— often  miles  in  extent — usually  shutting  out  a valley  or  defile, 
with  pits  at  every  fifty  or  a hundred  paces  apart,  artfully  con- 
cealed with  grass,  sand,  etc.,  the  intervening  spaces  being 
planted  and  filled  up  with  stout  palisades,  closely  interwoven 
with  boughs  and  branches  of  thorn-trees. 

The  Hill-Damaras  are  remarkable  for  the  perseverance  and 
industry  they  exhibit  in  the  construction  of  game-pits.  From 
want  of  proper  tools,  the  trees  have  first  to  be  burnt  down  and 
then  carried  on  men’s  shoulders  to  their  destination,  and  when 
we  add  to  this  that  the  task  is  frequently  executed  in  the  most 
arid  districts — the  haunts  of  the  gemsbok,  the  eland,  the  koodoo 
and  other  tenants  of  the  wilds,  who  are  capable  of  existing 
more  or  less  without  water  for  long  periods — it  is  easy  to  ima- 
gine the  labor  and  fatigue  of  the  process. 

On  counting  over  the  different  articles  of  my  baggage,  I 
found  that  at  least  nine  or  ten  oxen  would  be  required  to  carry 
them,  in  addition  to  those  necessary  for  myself  and  men  to  ride 
upon.  Almost  all  my  cattle  were  young,  and  only  half  broken 
in,  and  there  was  scarcely  time  for  further  training.  To  save 
all  trouble,  I felt  inclined  to  push  on  with  the  old  wagon  ; but, 
for  more  than  one  reason,  the  idea  was  quickly  abandoned.  I 
worked  night  and  day,  but  was  much  harassed.  Through  care- 
lessness, the  hyaenas  were  allowed  to  devour  the  skins  intendet 
for  pack-11  riems”  and  divers  minor  articles.  The  men  were! 
lazy,  stubborn,  and  ill-humored;  and  I was  kept  constantly  01 
the  rack  by  their  annoyances.  One  day  I was  obliged  to  resort 
to  the  very  unusual  measure  of  flogging  Onesimus,  who  by  this; 
time  thought  himself  too  civilized  to  need  correction.  Indeed,) 
they  were  all  more  or  less  of  this  opinion,  and  wanted  theiiS 
dismissal.  Having  always  been  kind  and  considerate  towards 
my  men — too  much  so,  perhaps — I felt  disgusted  at  their  ini! 
gratitude,  and  exclaimed,  rather  passionately — “ Yes,  go  cow- 
ards ! go  and  tell  your  friends  that  you  have  left  your  master  ii 
the  desert  to  the  mercy  of  wild  beasts  and  savage  men  : go  am 
exult.  Your  conduct  shall  not  prevent  me  from  persevering  ii 
my  plans.”  On  more  mature  consideration,  however,  they); 
thought  better  of  it,  and  again  returned  to  their  duty  with  t 
good  will.” 

After  many  delays  and  the  most  strenuous  exertions,  every- 
thing was  at  length  in  readiness  for  a start.  Before  setting  off,  J 
wrote  to  some  of  my  friends  at  the  Cape,  and  also  a letter  oij 
two  to  Europe,  intrusting  them  to  Eyebrecht,  who  returned 
forthwith  to  Walfisch  Bay.  ) 

At  noon  of  the  14th  of  June,  we  assembled  our  oxen  ant 


DEPARTURE THE  JACKAL  S HANDV-WORK.  293 

began  to  pack  ; but,  though  we  labored  till  our  heads  turned 
giddy  and  our  arms  were  paralyzed,  we  made  but  slow  progress. 
No  sooner  had  we  finished  arranging  the  burden  of  one  ox,  than 
another  threw  off’  his  pack.  It  is  utterly  impossible  for  those 
who  have  never  had  ocular  demonstration  of  this  kind  of  work 
with  half-wild  cattle,  to  understand  the  difficulty,  and  imagine 
the  ludicrous  scenes  that  take  place.  I have  already  given  a faint 
sketch  of  the  process  of  training  oxen,  from  which  the  reader 
may  glean  some  notion  of  the  obstacles  to  be  surmounted — 
bearing  in  mind,  at  the  same  time,  that,  instead  of  a single  ox, 
we  had  ten  to  load,  besides  those  on  which  we  were  mounted, 
and  which  were  not  the  most  manageable. 

At  last,  we  were  off ; but  the  day  was  then  so  far  advanced, 
that  we  were  unable  to  accomplish  more  than  seven  or  eight 
miles  before  we  found  it  necessary  to  make  a halt,  and  to 
bivouac  for  the  night.  We  were  so  thoroughly  knocked  up  with 
the  severe  labor  of  the  day,  that,  after  having  hastily  removed 
the  packs  from  the  vicious  beasts,  we  literally  dropped  to  sleep 
where  we  stood — not  one  of  the  party  giving  a thought  as  to 
food,  fire,  water,  or  covering,  of  each  and  all  we  stood  greatly 
in  need. 

On  returning  to  consciousness,  the  following  morning,  the 
first  object  that  met  my  half-sleepy  gaze  was  a jackal,  busily 
engaged  examining  our  baggage.  Having  no  gun  within  reach, 
I threw  a handful  of  sand  at  the  impudent  fellow,  on  which  he 
saluted  me  with  a mocking  laugh,  and  slowly  retreated.  Bat 
had  I then  been  aware  of  the  full  extent  of  his  mischievous 
propensities,  he  should  certainly  not  have  escaped  so  easy.  The 
brute  had,  indeed,  devoured  one  of  the  “ riems,”  with  which  we 
secured  the  packs  on  the  oxen.  Nothing  could  possibly  have 
been  more  unfortunate;  the  thong  was,  at  that  time,  worth  its 
weight  in  gold.  We  had  ten  oxen  to  pack,  and  only  nine 
“riems!”  Here,  then,  was  a fine  opportunity  for  a man  to 
exert  his  ingenuity.  It  was  totally  out  of  the  question  to  di- 
vide any  of  the  remaining  straps,  for  they  were  short  and  narrow 
enough  already,  and  they  must  be  of  a certain  length  and  solidity 
in  order  to  serve  the  purpose  effectually.  At  length,  however, 
and  after  much  searching,  patching,  and  splicing,  a very  indif- 
ferent substitute  was  produced,  and  we  were  again  en  route — 
though  not  before  1 had,  for  the  fiftieth  time,  vowed  dire  ven- 
geance against  the  whole  race  of  jackals. 

This  day  (May  15th),  we  proceeded  alternately  in  the  bed  and 
on  the  borders  of  the  Otjiombinde  river.  The  soil  consisted  of 
fine,  white  sand,  reflecting  a light  dazzling  and  painful  to  the 


394 


SAND  - WELLS  IN  THE  DESERT 


eyes,  whilst  it  was  soft  and  yielding  to  the  feet.  The  grass  was 
still  green  and  very  plentiful,  and  the  vegetation,  in  general,  was 
rank.  We  passed  several  vleys  containing  small  quantities  of 
muddy  water,  alive  with  loathsome  reptiles;  and,  in  some 
places,  the  wallowing  of  elephants  and  rhinoceroses  had  con- 
verted it  into  a substance  not  unlike  a mass  of  well-kneaded 
dough,  heaving  with  insect  life,  and  tinted  and  variegated  by 
the  stains  of  larger  animals.  Yet  we  drank,  or  rather  gulped, 
it  with  avidity  ! 

We  encountered  also  a vast  number  of  “ sand-wells,”  varying 
from  one  to  three  fathoms  in  depth,  with  an  average  diameter 
at  the  top  of  twenty  feet.  The  construction  of  these  pits  indi- 
cated great  perseverance  and  skill,  and  had  evidently  been 
formed  by  a pastoral  people  possessed  of  large  herds  of  cattle. 
No  European  would  ever  have  dreamt  of  looking  for  water  in 
such  localities,  since  it  usually  lay  ten  feet  below  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  which  gave  no  indication  whatever  of  its  presence. 
Not  having  been  used  or  kept  in  repair  for  many  a long  year 
several  were  partially  filled  with  sand,  but  the  greater  portions 
were  still  in  tolerable  order.  They  contained  no  standing  water 
but  plenty  of  moisture  ; and,  by  inserting  a reed — the  plan  adopt 
ed  by  the  bushmen  when  the  liquid  will  not  flow — enough  tc 
quench  a person’s  thirst  was  generally  obtained.  Elephants 
had  been  at  work  in  many,  but  were  clearly  disappointed. 

About  sunset  we  came  to  a large  vley,  where  a troop  of 
elephants  had  evidently  only  a short  time  previously  been  en- 
joying themselves.  This  circumstance  put  my  men  on  the  qui 
vive;  and  my  Griqua  interpreter,  who  was  one  of  the  most 
chicken-hearted  of  beings,  took  good  care  to  magnify  the! 
danger  of  encountering  these  animals  at  night.  He  declared 
that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  come  to  a halt ; but  this  did 
not  suit  my  purpose  at  all.  I assured  my  men  that  elephants,  if 
left  unmolested,  were  very  timid  and  civil  beasts,  and  that,  nc| 
doubt,  if  we  met  them,  and  only  gave  them  room  to  pass,  they 
would,  in  all  probability,  treat  us  with  equal  courtesy.  This 
having  in  some  degree  quieted  their  apprehensions,  we  proceeded 
till  about  nine  o’clock,  when  we  unloaded  the  tired  oxen  ant 
camped  for  the  night.  As  for  ourselves,  though  much  latigued 
we  took  the  precaution  to  provide  security  from  all  skulking 
night-prowlers.  By  a roaring  fire,  and  over  a hearty  supper.  w< 
forgot  the  miseries  of  the  day  ; and,  in  the  firm  anticipation  o! 
success,  cheerfully  resigned  our  weary  limbs  to  sleep. 

At  an  early  hour  the  next  morning,  we  were  on  the  move 
The  air  being  cool,  we  proceeded  briskly.  About  noon  sour 


CHANGE  COURSE. 


297 


[ ishmen  were  ooserved  digging  roots;  but  they  only  allowed 
b to  approach  within  shouting  distance.  We  managed,  how- 
rer,  to  hold  some  little  conversation  with  them,  and  learnt 
lat  water  was  not  far  off.  They  warned  us  to  proceed  with 
nation,  as  the  whole  river-bed  in  advance  was  undermined 
ith  pit-falls.  And  true  enough,  for,  before  being  aware  of  it. 
e found  ourselves  entrapped  in  a maze  of  yawning  chasms, 
)wn  some  of  which,  bipeds  and  quadrupeds  went  together  in 
le  most  amicable  confusion.  However,  being  partially  p re- 
ared for  the  event,  and  traveling  at  a slow  pace,  we  escaped 
ith  a few  bruises.  To  prevent  a recurrence  of  the  mischief,  a 
ian  or  two  proceeded  in  advance,  and  unmasked  the  remainder, 
hey  were  constructed  on  the  same  principle  as  the  one  into 
hick  I had  a short  time  previously  been  so  unceremoniously 
recipitated. 

At  two  o’clock  pan.,  we  came  to  a halt  by  a well  of  clear, 
aod  water.  Within  gun-shot  of  this  place  was  a “salt-lick,” 
mch  frequented  by  wild  animals,  such  as  rhinoceroses,  giraffes, 
emsboks,  koodoos,  elands,  gnoos,  etc.;  but  I preferred  to  d<> 
ate  the  ensuing  night  to  rest  and  astronomical  observations, 
ither  than  lying  in  ambush  for  game. 

At  an  after  period  I had  some  good  sport  in  this  locality  ; as 
Iso  some  spirited  chases  after  elands,  which,  as  well  as  the 
nimals  themselves,  are  admirably  represented  on  the  aecom- 
anyirig  plate.  But  space  prevents  me  from  entering  into  de- 
lils. 

The  Otjiombinde,  without  materially  taking  us  out  of  our 
irect  route,  had  thus  far  befriended  us  ; but  if  I wished  to  reach 
he  Lake,  it  was  now  out  of  the  question  any  longer  to  follow 

ibis  river,  as  hence  it  pursued  too  southerly  a course.  According 
o the  advice  of  the  bushmen,  therefore,  we  now  left  it  to  the 
ight,  and  struck  out  in  a northerly  direction  through  an  in- 
tensely dense  “ Wacht-een-bigtje ” (thorn-jungle).  After  a few 
ours’  travel,  “ we  packed-off”  to  the  eastward  of  some  dilapi- 
ated  limestone  pits;  but  though  they  contained  water,  from 
he  depth  of  the  cavities,  and  the  difficulty  of  access  to  them,  i 
■ccupied  the  men  several  hours  to  supply  the  wants  of  our  small 
herd  of  cattle.  The  next  stage — a short  one — we  slept  without 
vater. 

In  the  course  of  the  following  day’s  march  we  had  traversed 
,ense  brakes  which  annoyed  us  excessively;  for  the  thorns  not 
. mly  tore  our  flesh  and  clothes,  but  subtracted  several  articles 
f value  from  the  pack-saddles.  Amongst  other  losses,  I had  to 
ewaii  that  of  two  magnificent  flags — the  British  and  the  8 wed- 


298 


LOSS  OF  FLAGS. 


ish — which  had  been  expressly  made  for,  and  presented  to,  nii 
by  my  kind  friend,  Mr.  Letterstedr,  the  Swedish  Consul-Genera 
at  the  Cape,  and  which  I hoped  to  have  unfurled  on  the  shore 
of  the  far-famed  Ngami.  All  my  efforts  to  recover  these  valuei 
standards  proved  fruitless,  some  hyaenas  having  probably  swal 
lowed  the  Anglo-Saxon  Lion  and  the  Swedish  Cross. 

At  dusk,  after  having  been  ten  hours  in  the  saddle,  wereaihei 
8 famous  place  called  Ghanze,  where  we  pitched  our  camp 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


HANZE SPOTTED  HY.-ENA THE  EHINOCEKOS WHERE  FOUND—  SEVERAL 

SPECIES DESCRIPTION  OF  RHINOCEROS SIZE APPEARANCE  — AGE 

STRENGTH SPEED FOOD WATER THE  YOUNG AFFECTION SENSES 

DISPOSITION GREGARIOUS INDOLENCE DOMESTICATION FLESH 

HORNS THE  CHASE MR.  OSWELL’S  ADVENTURES  WITH  RHINOCEROSES 

A CROTCHET— WHERE  TO  AIM  AT  THE  RHINOCEROS DOES  NOT  BijEED 

EXTERNALLY  WHEN  WOUNDED GREAT  NUMBERS  SLAIN  ANNUALLY. 

Ghanze,  according  to  the  interpretation  of  my  Griqua,  signi- 
es  very  large,  and  yet  very  small.  Absurd  as  this  explanation 
lay  appear,  there  is,  nevertheless,  some  aptness  in  it.  The 
very  large”  means,  that,  from  the  moisture  of  the  ground, 
iere  is  an  indication  of  much  water,  whilst  the  real  quantity  is 
ifling.  Ghanze  is  a peculiar  and  dreary-looking  place,  con- 
sting  of  an  extensive  hollow,  with  innumerable  small  stones 
sattered  over  its  surface,  and  on  one  side  fenced  by  a natural 
mestone  wall,  three  to  five  feet  in  height.  The  wiioleis  hemmed 
t with  thorn-coppices,  intersected  by  numerous  foot-paths,  the 
ork  of  those  huge  creatures,  the  elephant  and  the  rhinoceros, 
t ho  have  probably  wandered  here  for  ages  in  undisputed  swav. 
f ere  and  there  an  “iron”  tree,  the  mythological  progenitor  of 
1 e Damaras,  stands  majestically  forth,  shooting  its  wide-spreaa- 
g branches  high  into  space. 

i Ghanze,  it  would  appear,  has  been  long  known  to  the  Bechu- 
: as  and  the  Griquas.  A party  of  the  latter,  I was  told, 
J ached  it  many  years  previously  to  my  arrival  in  a despairing 
nte,  having  been  obliged  to  abandon  their  wagons  in  the 
alahari.  The  body  of  men  from  whom  I obtained  my  inter- 
|jeter  had  also  visited  it.  It  had  even  been  frequented  by 


300  THE  SPOTTED  H Y iE  N A RHINOCEROSES  SHOT. 


Europeans.  An  English  traveler,  Moyle,  crossed  the  desert  ir 
safety,  and  arrived  at  Ghanze  in  1852,  on  a trading  and  hunting 
expedition.  From  this  place  he  was  guided  by  bushmen  t( 
Great  Namaqua-land,  whence  he  retraced  his  steps  home.  Th< 
year  after  this,  he  again  crossed  the  desert,  though  under  un 
favorable  circumstances — having,  with  the  exception  of  tw< 
horses,  lost  all  his  beasts  of  burden,  as  also  his  servants,  sotn< 
of  whom  died  from  want. 

Almost  the  first  animal  I saw  at  this  place  was  a gigantii 
“ tiger- wolf,”  or  spotted  hyaena,  which,  to  my  surprise,  instcai 
of  seeking  safety  in  flight,  remained  stationary,  grinning  in  th 
most  ghastly  manner.  Having  approached  within  twenty  paces 
I perceived,  to  my  horror,  that  his  fore  paws,  and  the  skin  am 
flesh  of  his  front  legs  had  been  gnawTed  away,  and  that  he  coult 
scarcely  move  from  the  spot.  To  shorten  the  sufferings  of  th 
poor  beast,  I seized  my  opportunity,  and  knocked  him  on  th 
head  with  a stone;  and,  catching  him  by  the  tail,  drove  m 
hunting-knife  deep  into  his  side.  But  I had  to  repeat  th 
operation  more  than  once  before  1 could  put  an  end  to  his  ex 
istence.  I am  at  a loss  how  to  account  for  his  mangled  conditio! 
It  certainly  could  not  have  been  from  age,  for  his  teeth  vver 
good.  Could  it  be  possible  that,  from  want  of  food,  he  ha. 
become  too  weak  for  further  exertions,  and  that,  as  a las 
resource,  he  had  attacked  his  own  body  ? Or  was  he  an  exainpl 
of  that  extraordinary  species  of  cruelty  said  to  be  practiced  b 
the  lion  on  the  hysena,  when  the  latter  has  the  insolence  t 
interfere  with  the  monarch’s  prey  ? 1 

Fortune  once  again  favored  us  ; for,  in  the  course  of  the  fe' 
days  we  remained  at  Ghanze,  several  rhinoceroses  were  sho 
affording  an  abundance  of  provisions.  These  animals  were  vet 
numerous,  but  rather  shy.  One  night  I counted  twenty  defilii; 
past  me,  though  beyond  reach.  The  cause  of  so  unusual 
number  being  seen  together  was  as  follows: — In  the  early  pa 
of  the  night,  one  or  two  were  approaching  the  water,  bu 
having  winded  me,  they  kept  walking  restlessly  round  tl 
place,  grunting  and  snorting  most  viciously.  This  had  tl 
effect  of  putting  those  who  arrived  later  on  their  guard,  ai 
they  soon  joined  company. 

Of  all  the  South  African  animals,  not  the  least  curious,  pt 
haps,  is  the  Rhinoceros.  He  inhabits  a large  portion  of  tl 

1 It  is  asserted  by  more  than  one  experienced  hunter,  that  when  the  hyse! 
proves  troublesome,  the  lion  has  been  known  to  bite  off  all  its  feet,  and,  ‘lj 
nratilated,  leave  the  poor  animal  to  ‘ts  fate  ! 


SEVERAL  SPECIES  OF  RHINOCEROS. 


30J 


African  continent — such  localities,  at  least,  as  are  suitable  to  his 
nabits.  Formerly,  as  before  mentioned,  he  was  common  even 
m the  immediate  vicinity  of  Cape-Town  ; but,  owing  to  constant 
persecution,  is  now  rarely  met  further  to  the  southward  (I 
speak  of  the  west  coast)  than  about  the  twenty-third  degree  of 
latitude.  In  the  interior,  however,  the  tribe  is  still  very  numer- 
ous. .‘•On  one  occasion.”  says  Captain  Harris,  in  a private 
letter,  “ whilst  walking  from  the  wagons,  to  bring  the  head  of 
a koodoo  that  I had  killed  about  a mile  off,  I encountered 
twenty-two  rhinoceroses,  and  had  to  shoot  four  of  them  to 
clear  the  way.” 

The  rhinoceros  is,  moreover,  an  inhabitant  of  Bengal,  Siam, 
China,  and  other  countries  of  Asia,  as  also  of  Java,  Sumatra, 
and  Ceylon.  But  the  three  species1  indigenous  to' this  quar- 
ter of  the  globe,  would  seem  to  be  quite  different  from  any 
vet  found  in  Africa.  Almost  all  the  Asiatic  species  have  an 
exceedingly  coarse  hide,  covered  with  large  folds,  not  unlike  a 


HEADS  OF  RHINOCEROSES.^ 

Rhinoceros  Indicus,  Rhinoceros  Sondaicus,  and  Rhinoceros  Bicornis  Suma- 

trensis. 

a The  above  wood-cut  is  a rough  but  characteristic  outline  of  the  heads  of  the 
four  distinct  species  of  rhinoceroses  recognized  as  indigenous  to  Africa.  The  tw'- 
lowest  heads  in  the  sketch  are  those  of  the  “ black.” 


302 


THE  BLACK  SPECIES. 


coat  of  mail ; whilst  that  of  the  African  species  is  comparatively 
smooth.  Two  of  the  Indian  rhinoceroses  have  only  one  horn 
whereas  all  the  African  are  provided  with  two.1  The  third 
Asiatic  species,  which  is  found  in  the  island  of  Sumatra,  re- 
sembles the  African  in  having  two  horns,  but  in  other  respects 
differs  considerably. 

Though  the  rhinoceros  is  abundant  in  the  interior  of  Africa, 
it  is  described  as  far  from  numerous  in  Asia,  and  as  less  gene- 
rally distributed  than  the  elephant. 

Four  distinct  species  of  rhinoceroses  are  known  to  exist  in 
South  Africa,  two  of  which  are  of  a dark  color,  and  two  of  a 
whitish  hue.  Hence  they  are  usually  designated  the  “black” 
and  the  “ white”  rhinoceroses.  One  of  the  two  species  of 
“black” — the  Borele,  as  it  is  called  by  the  Bechuanas — is  the 
common  small  black  rhinoceros  (rhinoceros  bicornis) ; the  other, 
the  Keitloa  (rhinoceros  Keitloa),  or  the  two-horned  black  rhino- 
ceros, as  it  is  also  termed  by  naturalists.  The  latter  differs  from 
the  Borele  in  being  somewhat  larger,  with  a longer  neck  ; in 
having  the  horns  of  nearly  equal  length,  with  a lesser  number 
of  wrinkles  about  the  head  ; and  it  is  of  a more  wild  and  morose 
disposition.  The  upper  lip  of  both  (more  especially  in  the 
Keitloa)  is  pointed,  overlaps  the  lower,  and  is  capable  of  ex- 
tension. It  is  pliable,  and  the  animal  can  move  it  from  side  to 
side,  twist  it  round  a stick,  collect  its  fond,  or  seize  with  it  any- 
thing it  would  carry  to  its  mouth.  Both  species  are  extremely 
fierce,  and,  excepting  the  buffalo,  are  perhaps  the  most  danger- 
ous of  all  the  beasts  in  Southern  Africa. 

Of  the  white  species,  we  have  the  common  white  rhinoceros 
(rhinoceros  simus,  Burch.),  called  monoohoo  by  the  Bechuanas, 
Kobaaba  (rhinoceros  Oswellii,  Gray)  or  long-horned  white  rhino- 
ceros.2 It  is  with  regard  to  their  horns  that  the  two  species 

' I have  met  persons  who  told  me  that  they  have  killed  rhinoceroses  with  three 
horns ; hut  in  all  such  cases  (and  they  have  been  but  few)  the  third,  or  posterioi 
horn,  is  so  small  as  to  be  scarcely  perceptible. 

3 Only  the  horns  of  this  species  have  been  described  by  naturalists.  Dr.  Gray, 
of  the  British  Museum,  seems  to  be  one  of  the  first  who  drew  attention  to  the 
Kobaaba  as  a distinct  rhinoceros.  In  the  “ Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  So- 
ciety,” No.  ccl.,  p.  46,  the  following  details  appear.  They  were  obtained  from  a 
pair  of  horns  (of  which  the  wood-cut  in  the  next  page  is  an  excellent  likeness)  pre- 
sented by  Mr.  Oswell  to  Colonel  Thomas  Steele,  of  Upper  Brook  Street : — 

“ The  front  horn  is  elongated  and  thick  ; but  instead  of  being  bent  back,  as  is 
the  general  character  of  R.  bicornis,  or  erect,  as  in  R.  simus,  it  is  bent  forwards, 
so  that  the  upper  surface  is  worn  flat  by  being  rubbed  against  the  ground.  The 
front  horn  is  thirty-one  inches  long,  flat,  square,  rough,  and  fibrous  in  front, 
rounded  and  smooth  behind.  The  hinder  horn,  eleven  inches  in  length,  is  short, 
conical,  and  sub-quadrangular.” 


backward,  that  of  the  Kobaaba  not  unfrequently  exceeds  four 
feet,  and  is  slightly  pointed  forward,  inclining  from  the  snout  at 
about  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees.  This  rhinoceros  is  also  the 
rarer  of  the  two,  and  is  only  found  in  the  more  interior  parts  of 
South  Africa. 

The  chief  distinguishing  characteristics  of  the  white  rhinoceros 
are  its  superior  size ; the  extraordinary  prolongation  of  its  head, 
which  is  not  far  from  one-third  of  the  whole  length  of  the  ani- 
mal’s body;  its  square  nose  (hence  also  designated  “square- 
nosed rhinoceros”),  and  the  greater  length  of  the  anterior 
horns. 

The  “ black”  and  the  “ white”  rhinoceros,  though  so  nearly 
allied  to  each  other,  differ  widely  in  their  mode  of  living,  habits, 
etc.  The  chief  sustenance  of  the  former  animal  consists  of  the 
roots  of  certain  bushes,  which  it  ploughs  up  with  its  strong 
horn,  and  the  shoots  and  tender  boughs  of  the  “ wait-a-bit” 
thorn;  whilst  the  “white”  rhinoceros,  on  the  contrary,  feeds 
solely  on  grasses. 

In  disposition,  also,  there  is  a marked  distinction  between' 


HORNS  OF  RHINOCEROS  OSWELLI1. 


the  white  species 


303 


chiefly  differ  from  each  other;  for  whilst  the  anterior  horn  of  the 
Monoohoo  has  an  average  length  of  two  or  three  feet,  curving 


304 


DESCRIPTION  OF  RHINOCEROS-AGE. 


them  ; for,  whilst  the  “ black”  is  of  a very  savage  nature,  the 
“white,”  on  the  other  hand,  is  of  a comparatively  mild  disposi- 
tion ; and,  unless  in  defense  of  its  young,  or  when  hotly  pur- 
sued, or  wounded,  will  rarely  attack  a man. 

The  body  of  the  rhinoceros  is  long  and  thick  ; its  belly  is  large, 
and  hangs  near  the  ground  ; its  legs  are  short,  round,  and  very 
strong;  and  its  hoofs  are  divided  into  three  parts,  each  pointing 
forward.  The  head,  which  is  remarkably  formed,  is  large;  the 
ears  are  long  and  erect ; its  eyes  small  and  sunk.  The  horns, 
which  are  composed  of  a mass  of  fine  longitudinal  threads,  or 
laminae,  forming  a beautifully  hard  and  solid  substance,  are  not 
affixed  to  the  skull,  but  merely  attached  to  the  skin,  resting, 
however,  in  some  degree,  on  a bony  protuberance  above  the 
nostrils.  It  is  believed  by  many,  that  when  the  animal  is  at 
rest,  the  horns  are  soft  and  pliable,  but  that  when  on  the  move, 
they  at  once  become  hard  and  solid.  Moreover,  that  it  can,  at 
will,  turn  the  posterior  horn,  the  other  horn  meanwhile  remain- 
ing firm  and  erect.  But  there  can  scarcely  be  sufficient  founda- 
tion for  such  notions. 

In  size,  the  African  rhinoceros— the  white  species,  at  least — 
is  only  exceeded  by  the  elephant.  A full-grown  male  (R.  simus) 
measures,  from  the  snout  to  the  extremity  of  the  tail  (which  is 
about  two  feet),  between  fourteen  and  sixteen  feet,  with  a cir- 
cumference of  ten  or  twelve.  To  judge  from  these  data,  and 
the  general  bulkiness  of  the  body,  it  cannot  weigh  less  than 
from  four  to  five  thousand  pounds.  In  our  “bush-cuisine,”  we 
reckoned  one  of  these  animals  equal  to  three  good-sized  oxen. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  African  rhinoceros  is  not  unlike 
that  of  an  immense  hog  shorn  of  his  hair,  or  rather  bristles;  for, 
with  the  exception  of  a tuft  at  the  extremity  of  the  ears  and  the 
tail,  it  has  no  hair  whatever.  And,  as  if  in  mockery  of  its  giant 
form,  its  eyes  are  ludicrously  small ; so  small,  indeed,  that  at  a 
short  distance  they  are  imperceptible.  Altogether,  what  with 
its  huge  body,  misshapen  head,  ungainly  legs  and  feet,  and 
diminutive  organs  of  vision,  the  rhinoceros  is  the  very  image  of 
ugliness. 

I have  no  data  that  would  enable  me  to  determine  the  age  of 
this  animal  ; but  if  we  are  to  judge  from  the  length  of  time  that 
the  horns  require  to  be  perfected,  and  supposing  the  animal  tc 
continue  to  grow  in  the  meanwhile,  it  may  be  safely  conjecture! 
that  he  is  one  of  the  most  long-lived  of  beasts.  Indeed,  it  is 
probable  he  attains  the  age  of  one  hundred  years. 

In  strength,  the  rhinoceros  is  scarcely  inferior  to  the  elephant 
Of  its  prodigious  power,  sufficient  evidence  was  shown  in  tht 


S T R E N G T H S PEE  D F O O D W AIER. 


305 


manner  in  which  it  charged  the  missionary  wagon,  as  mentioned 
at  page  27  of  this  volume.  It  is  on  record,  moreover,  that  the 
rhinoceros,  which  Emanuel,  King  of  Portugal,  sent  to  the  Pope 
in  the  year  1513,  destroyed,  in  a paroxysm  of  fury,  the  vessel  in 
which  he  was  transported. 

Ungainly  and  heavy  as  the  rhinoceros  looks,  it  is,  nevertheless, 
so  exceedingly  swift  of  foot — at  least,  as  regards  the  black  spe- 
cies— “ that  a horse  with  a rider,”  to  quote  the  words  of  Gor- 
don Gumming,  can  rarely  manage  to  overtake  it.”  The  testi- 
mony of  Captain  Harris  is  to  the  like  effect;  for,  when  speaking 
of  the  chase  of  this  animal,  and  after  telling  us  that  it  is  most 
difficult  to  kill,  he  says  : — “ From  its  clumsy  appearance  one 
would  never  suppose  it  could  dart  about  as  it  does,  like  light- 
ning.” 

The  food  of  the  rhinoceros  .consists  entirely,  as  mentioned,  of 
vegetables,  shoots  of  trees,  grasses,  etc.  It  is  fond  of  the  sugar- 
cane, and  eats  all  kinds  of  grain  ; 1 but  it  does  not  seem  to  be  a 
voracious  feeder.  Indeed,  it  would  appear  to  be  somewhat 
fastidious  in  the  selection  of  its  food,  in  search  of  which  it  wan- 
ders far  and  wide. 

Water  is  indispensable  to  the  rhinoceros,  and,  even  if. his 
usual  haunts  be  distant  from  the  fountain,  he  seeks  it  at  least 
once  in  the  course  of  the  twenty-four  hours,  as  well  to  quench 
his  thirst  as  to  wallow  in  the  mud,  with  which  his  body  is  fre- 
quently incrusted — leaving  to  the  thirsty  traveler  nothing  but  a 
mass  of  well-kneaded  dough. 


FOSTUS  OF  RHINOCEROS  KE1TLOA. 


1 The  Asiatic  specimen  in  the  Zoological  Gardens,  Regent’s  Park,  is  fed  on 
clever,  straw,  rice,  and  bran.  His  daily  allowance  is  one  truss  of  straw,  three- 
quarters  of  a truss  of  clover,  one  quart  of  rice,  half  a bushel  of  bran,  and  twenty 
.o  twentv-four  gallons  of  water. 

20 


306  AFFECTION  OF  MOTHER  AND  OFFSPRING. 


Little  seems  to  be  known  of  the  breeding  habits  of  this  animal ; 
whether  it  lives  in  monogamy,  or  has  a plurality  of  wives,  and 
so  forth.  It  appears  certain,  however,  that  the  female  only 
produces  one  young  at  a birth,  and  that,  too,  at  considerable 
intervals.  During  the  first  month,  the  young  rhinoceros  exceeds 
not  the  size  of  a large  dog,  with  the  merest  indication  of  horns. 
A complete  and  full-grown  foetus  of  R.  Keitloa  that  I once  ob- 
tained measured  thus  : — 


Length  of  body  (from  tip  of  nose,  over  the  head,  and  along  the 

back)  to  insertion  of  tail 

Length  of  tail  

Circumference  of  body  behind  shoulder  .... 

neck . 

head  (across  the  eyes)  .... 

Height  at  the  shoulder 

Length  of  head  between  ears  and  eyes  .... 

Breadth,  “ “ “ 

“ “ “ eyes  (corner  nearest  nostrils) 


3ft. 

0 

2 

1 

1 

2 

0 

0 

0 


Gin 

10 

4 

6 

8 

1 

4 


At  the  age  of  two  years,  the  horn  is  said  to  be  not  more  than 
an  inch  long ; at  six  years  old,  it  is  nine  or  ten  inches  long,  and 
grows,  as  seen  in  the  white  species,  to  the  length  of  three  or 
four  feet. 

The  rhinoceros  is  a very  affectionate  mother,  and  guards  her 
offspring  with  the  tenderest  care.  The  young,  in  its  turn,  clings 
doatingly  to  its  dam  ; and,  even  for  a day  or  two  after  the  latter 
has  been  killed,  the  calf  is  frequently  found  alongside  the  carcass. 
Several  instances  of  the  kind  have  come  under  my  personal 
notice,  and  many  others  are  to  be  found  in  the  records  of  African 
travelers  and  hunters. 

The  sense  of  hearing  and  smell  of  this  animal  is  most  acute. 
I have  had  numerous  opportunities  of  testing  both  these  quali- 
ties. Even  when  feeding,  lying  down,  or  obeying  any  passing 
demand  of  nature,  he  will  listen  with  a deep  and  continued  at- 
tention until  the  noise  that  has  attracted  his  attention  ceases. 
He  “ winds”  an  enemy  from  a very  great  distance  ; but,  if  one 
be  to  leeward  of  him,  it  is  not  difficult  to  approach  within  a few 
paces. 

His  sight,  on  the  other  hand  is  not  good.  From  the  peculiar 
position  of  his  eyes — which  are  deep  set  in  the  head — and  his 
unwieldy  horns,  he  can  only  see  what  is  immediately  before  him. 

The  “ black”  species,  as  before  said,  are  of  a very  sullen  and 
morose  disposition.  They  are,  moreover,  subject  to  sudden 
paroxysms  of  unprovoked  fury,  rushing  and  charging,  with  incon- 
ceivable fierceness,  animals,  stones,  bushes — in  short,  any  object 
that  comes  in  their  way. 


DISPOSITIO  N F EKOCITY. 


307 


Seen  in  his  native  wilds,  either  when  browsing  at  his  leisure, 
or  listlessly  sauntering  about,  a person  would  take  the  rhinoceros 
to  be  the  most  stupid  and  inoffensive  of  creatures  ; yet,  when  his 
ire  is  roused,  he  becomes  the  reverse,  and  is  then  the  most  agile 
and  terrible  of  animals. 

Colonel  Williamson  speaks  of  a rhinoceros  in  India  whose 
ferocity  was  such  as  to  render  the  roads  impassable,  by  attacking 
travelers,  or  those  who  passed  near  his  haunts  ; and  he  relates 
an  attack  upon  a sporting  company  by  the  same  animal,  in  the 
close  of  the  year  1788,  as  generally  known  to  the  army  and  resi- 
dents of  the  district.  “ Two  officers  belonging  to  the  troops 
cantoned  at  Dunapore,  near  Patna,  went  down  the  river  towards 
Monghyr,  to  shoot  and  hunt.  They  had  encamped  in  the  vicinity 
of  Derrzapore,  and  had  heard  some  reports  of  a rhinoceros  having 
attacked  some  travelers  many  miles  off.  One  morning,  just  as 
they  were  rising,  about  day  break,  to  go  in  quest  of  game,  they 
heard  a violent  uproar  ; and,  on  looking  out,  found  that  a rhino- 
ceros was  goring  their  horses,  both  of  which,  being  fastened  by 
their  head  and  heel  with  ropes,  were  consequently  unable  either 
to  escape  or  resist.  Their  servants  took  to  their  heels,  and  con- 
cealed themselves  in  the  neighboring  jungle ; and  the  gentlemen 
had  just  time  to  climb  up  into  a small  tree  not  far  distant,  be- 
fore the  furious  beast,  having  completed  the  destruction  of  the 
horses,  turned  his  attention  to  their  masters.  They  were  barely 
out  of  his  reach,  and  by  no  means  exempt  from  danger,  especially 
as  he  assumed  a threatening  appearance,  and  seemed  intent  on 
their  downfall.  After  keeping  them  in  dreadful  suspense  for 
some  time,  and  using  some  efforts  to  dislodge  them,  seeing  the 
sun  rise,  he  retreated  to  his  haunt ; not,  however,  without  oc- 
casionally casting  an  eye  back,  as  with  regret,  at  leaving  what 
he  wanted  the  power  to  destroy.” 

But  the  rhinoceros  is  not  dangerous  to  man  alone — a, 11  the 
beasts  of  the  forest  dread  him,  and  none  venture  to  attack  this 
truly  formidable  animal.  The  lion,  if  they  chance  to  meet, 
slirdvs  out  of  his  way.  Even  the  elephant,  should  they  encoun- 
ter, retreats,  if  possible,  without  hazarding  an  engagement. 
Major  Lally  stated  to  the  author  of  “Oriental  Sports,”  that  he 
once  witnessed,  from  a distant  hill,  a most  desperate  battle  be- 
tween a large  male  elephant  and  a rhinoceros,  in  which  the 
former  was  worsted  and  fled.  Amral  told  me,  that  one  day, 
whilst  himself  and  party  were  engaged  in  pursuit  of  an  elephant, 
a black  rhinoceros  suddenly  appeared  amongst  them,  charging 
madly  both  beasts  and  men,  several  of  whom  had  narrow 
escapes  from  being  gored  by  the  animal. 


30S  GREGARIOUS  HABITS DOMESTICATION FLESH. 

The  rhinoceros  will  also  fight  his  own  species.  One  night, 
when  at  the  “skarm,”  I saw  four  huge  beasts  engage  each  other 
at  the  same  time,  and  so  furious  was  the  strife,  and  their  grunt- 
ings  so  horrible,  that  it  caused  the  greatest  consternation 
amongst  my  party,  who  was  encamped  some  little  way  off.  I 
succeeded  after  a while  in  killing  two  of  them,  one  of  which 
was  actually  unfit  for  food,  being  quite  rotten  from  wounds 
received  on  previous  occasions,  and,  probably,  under  similar 
•circumstances. 

The  rhinoceros,  though  it  cannot  strictly  be  called  a gregari- 
ous animal,  and  though  most  commonly  met  with  singly  or  in 
pairs,  would  seem  to  be  of  a somewhat  social  disposition.  In- 
deed, as  many  as  a dozen  have  been  seen  pasturing  and  browsing 
together. 

The  rhinoceros  is  nocturnal  in  his  habits.  At  the-  approach 
of  dusk  he  commences  his  rambles,  and,  if  not  disturbed, 
generally  visits  the  pool  at  an  early  hour  of  the  evening  ; after- 
wards, he  not  unfrequently  wanders  over  a great  extent  of 
country.  Soon  after  sunrise,  he  seeks  repose  and  shelter  against 
the  heat,  under  some  friendly  mimosa,  or  the  projecting  ledge  of 
a rock,  where  he  spends  the  day  in  sleep,  either  stretched  at  full 
length  or  in  a standing  position.  Thus  seen  from  a distance,  he 
may  easily  be  mistaken  for  the  fragment  of  a rock. 

The  Asiatic  species  is  frequently  kept  in  confinement,  but 
though  generally  tractable,  his  morose  and  savage  nature  makes 
him  rather  dangerous.  The  least  provocation  often  puts  him  into 
a tempest  of  passion,  when  he  will  not  hesitate  to  destroy  his 
best  friend.  In  his  rage,  he  will  jump  about,  and  leap  to  a 
great  height,  driving  his  head  furiously,  and  with  incredible 
swiftness,  against  the  partitions  of  his  place  of  confinement. 
Three  or  four  specimens  are  at  the  present  day  alive  in  Eng- 
land. 

The  flesh  of  the  rhinoceros  varies  greatly  in  quality.  That 
of  the  “black  species,  from  its  leanness,  and  the  animal  feeding 
on  the  “wait-a-bit”  thorn-bushes,  which  gives  it  an  acrid  and 
bitter  ilavor,  is  not  over-esteemed.  That  of  the  white,  on  the 
other  hand,  whose  sustenance  consists  of  grass,  which  imparts 
to  it  an  agreeable  taste,  coupled  with  its  usual  fatness,  is  greatly 
sought  after  by  natives  and  colonists.  Indeed,  the  flesh  of  this 
animal  seems  always  to  have  been  in  repute  in  the  Cape-Colony. 
Kolhen,  when  speaking  of  it,  says:  “The  flesh  of  a rhinoceros, 
which  I have  often  eaten  with  a great  deal  of  satisfaction,  is  not 
so  sinewy  as  some  writers  have  represented.” 

The  horns  of  the  rhinoceros,  which  are  capable  of  a high  pol- 


HOIS  S T HEIR  VIRTU  E T HE  CHASE.  309> 

ish,  are  a valuable  article  of  commerce.  At  the  Cape,  this 
commodity  fetches  half  as  much  as  ordinary  elephant  ivory.  It 
is  extensively  used  in  the  manufacture  of  sword  handles,  drink- 
ing cups,  ramrods  for  rifles,  and  a variety  of  other  purposes.  In 
Turkey,  the  rhinoceros-horn  is  much  esteemed,  more  especially 
such  as  have  a reddish  tint  about  the  grain.  These,  when  made 
into  cups,  the  Turks  believe  to  have  the  virtue  of  detecting 
poison. 

“ The  horns  of  the  rhinoceros,”  says  Thunberg,  “were  kept 
by  some  people,  both  in  town  and  country,  not  only  as  rarities, 
but  also  as  useful  in  diseases,  and  for  the  purpose  of  detecting 
poison.  As  to  the  former  of  these  intentions,  the  fine  shavings 
of  the  horns  taken  internally  were  supposed  to  cure  convulsions 
and  spasms  in  children.  With  respect  to  the  latter,  it  was  gene- 
rally believed  that  goblets  made  of  these  horns  in  a turner’s 
lathe  would  discover  a poisonous  draught  that  was  put  into 
them,  by  making  the  liquor  ferment  till  it  ran  quite  out  of 
the  goblet.  Such  horns  as  were  taken  from  a rhinoceros 
calf  were  said  to  be  the  best,  and  the  most  to  be  depended 
upon.”  » 

“The  horn  of  the  rhinoceros,”  Kolben  tells  us,  “will  not 
endure  the  touch  of  poison.  I have  often  been  a witness  to 
this.  Many  people  of  fashion  at  the  Cape  have  cups  turned  out 
of  the  rhinoceros-horn.  Some  have  them  set  in  silver,  and  some  in 
gold.  If  wine  is  poured  into  one  of  these  cups,  it  immediately 
rises  and  bubbles  up  as  if  it  were  boiling;  and  if  there  be 
poison  in  it,  the  cup  immediately  splits.  If  poison  be  put  by 
itself  into  one  of  those  cups,  the  cup,  in  an  instant,  flies  to 
pieces.  Though  this  matter  is  known  to  thousands  of  persons, 
yet  some  writers  have  affirmed  that  the  rhinoceros-horn  has  no 
such  virtue.  The  chips  made  in  turning  one  of  those  cups  are 
ever  carefully  saved,  and  returned  to  the  owner  of  the  cup  ; 
being  esteemed  of  great  benefit  in  convulsions,  faintings,  and 
many  other  illnesses.” 

The  chase  of  the  rhinoceros  is  variously  conducted  in  South- 
ern Africa.  One  of  the  most  approved  plans  is  to  stalk  the 
animal,  either  when  feeding  or  reposing.  If  the  sportsman 
keep  well  under  the  wind,  and  there  be  the  least  cover,  lie  has. 
no  difficulty  in  approaching  the  beast  within  easy  range,  when, 
if  the  ball  be  well  directed,  the  prey  is  usually  killed  on  the' 
spot.  With  a little  precaution,  this  kind  of  sport  may  be  con 
ducted  without  greatly  endangering  a person’s  safety. 

But  by  far  the  most  convenient  way  of  destroying  this  ani- 
mal, is  to  shoot  him  from  the  “ skarm”  as  he  comes  to  the  pool 


310  MR.OSWELL  AND  THE  WHITE  RHINOCEROS. 


to  quench  his  thirst.  In  this  manner  I have  myself  killed  seve- 
ral scores  of  rhinoceroses. 

Occasionally  he  is  also  taken  in  pit-falls,  which  are  constructed 
in  pretty  much  the  same  manner  as  those  for  the  capture  of  ele- 
phants and  other  large  game. 

He  is  not  often  pursued  on  horseback,  and  chiefly  because  his 
speed  and  endurance  are  such  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  come  up 
with  and  follow  him — to  say  nothing  of  the  danger  attendant 
on  such  a course.  Many  a hunter,  indeed,  has  thereby  endan- 
gered his  life. 

“ Once,  as  I was  returning  from  an  elephant  chase,”  said  Mr. 
Oswell  to  me,  one  day,  in  conversation,  “ I observed  a huge 
white  rhinoceros,  a short  distance  a-head.  I was  riding  a most 
excellent  hunter — the  best  and  fleetest  steed  that  I ever  pos- 
sessed during  my  shooting  excursions  in  Africa — at  the  time; 
but  it  was  a rule  with  me  never  to  pursue  a rhinoceros  on  horse- 
back, and  simply  because  this  animal  is  so  much  more  easily 
approached  and  killed  on  foot.  On  this  occasion,  however,  it 
seemed  as  if  fate  had  interfered.  Turning  to  my  after-rider,  I 
called  out — ‘By  heaven!  that  fellow  has  got  a fine  horn!  I 
will  have  a shot  at  him.’  With  that  I clapped  spurs  to  my 
horse,  who  soon  brought  me  alongside  the  huge  beast,  and 
the  next  instant  I lodged  a ball  in  his  body,  but,  as  it  turned 
out,  not  with  deadly  effect.  On  receiving  my  shot,  the  rhino- 
ceros, to  my  great  surprise,  instead  of  seeking  safety  in  flight, 
as  is  the  habit  of  this  generally,  inoffensive  animal,  suddenly 
stopped  short,  then  turned  sharply  round,  and,  having  eyed  me 
most  curiously  for  a second  or  two,  walked  slowly  towards,  me. 
I never  dreamt  of  danger.  Nevertheless,  I instinctively  turned 
my  horse’s  head  away  ; but,  strange  to  say,  this  creature,  usually 
so  docile  and  gentle — which  the  slightest  touch  of  the  reins 
would  be  sufficient  to  guide — now  absolutely  refused  to  give  me 
his  head.  When  at  last  he  did  so,  it  was  too  late  ; for,  notwith- 
standing the  rhinoceros  had  only  been  walking,  the  distance  be- 
tween us  was  so  inconsiderable,  that  by  this  time  I clearly  saw 
contact  was  unavoidable.  Indeed,  in  another  moment,  I ob- 
served the  brute  bend  low  his  head,  and,  with  a thrust  up-  j 
wards,  struck  his  horn  into  the  ribs  of  the  horse  with  such  force 
as  to  penetrate  to  the  very  saddle  on  the  opposite  side,  where  I 
felt  its  sharp  point  against  my  leg.  The  violence  of  the  blow 
was  so  tremendous  as  to  cause  the  horse  to  make  a complete 
somersault  in  the  air,  coming  heavily  down  on  his  back.  With 
regard  to  myself,  I was,  as  a matter  of  course,  violently  precipi- 
toted  to  the  ground.  Whilst  thus  prostrated,  I actually  saw 


MR.  OS  WELL  AND  THE  BLACK  RHINOCEROS.  311 


the  horn  of  the  infuriated  brute  alongside  of  me;  but  seem- 
ingly satisfied  with  his  revenge,  without  attempting  to  do  further 
mischief,  he  started  off  at  a canter  from  the  scene  of  action. 
My  after-rider  having  by  this  time  come  up,  1 rushed  upon  him, 
and,  almost  pulling  him  off  the  horse,  leapt  into  the  saddle, 
and,  without  a hat,  and  my  face  streaming  with  blood,  was 
quickly  in  pursuit  of  the  retreating  beast,  which  I soon  had  the 
satisfaction  to  see  stretched  lifeless  at  my  feet. 

“ My  friend,  Captain  Vardon,  by  whom  I was  accompanied 
on  this  journey,  soon  after  joined  me,  and  seeing  my  head  and 
face  covered  with  blood,  at  first  imagined  me  to  be  mortally 
hurt  or  dying.  However,  with  the  exception  of  a blow  on  the 
skull,  occasioned  by  the  stirrup-iron,  which  laid  my  head  open 
a few  inches,  I received  no  further  injury.  But  the  horse  was 
killed  on  the  spot.” 

Again  : — “ On  another  occasion,  as  1 was  bending  my  steps 
towards  my  camp  on  foot,  I espied  at  no  great  distance  two 
rhinoceroses  of  the  species  Keitloa.  They  were  feeding,  and 
slowly  approaching  me.  I immediately  couched  and  quietly 
waited  their  arrival  ; but  though  they  soon  came  within  range, 
from  their  constantly  facing  me,  I was  unable  to  fire,  well  know- 
ing the  uselessness  of  a shot  at  the  head.  In  a short  time,  they 
had  approached  so  close  that,  on  account  of  the  exposed  nature 
of  the  ground,  I could  neither  retreat  nor  advance,  and  my  situ- 
ation became  highly  critical.  I was  afraid  to  fire  ; for,  even 
had  I succeeded  in  killing  one,  the  other  would,  in  all  likelihood, 
have-run  over  and  trampled  me  to  death.  In  this  dilemma,  the 
thought  struck  me,  that  on  account  of  their  bad  sight  I might 
possibly  save  myself  by  trying  to  run  past  them.  No  time  was 
to  be  lost  ; and  accordingly,  just  as  the  leading  animal  almost 
touched  me,  I stood  up  and  dashed  past  it.  The  brute,  how- 
ever was  much  too  quick  for  me,  and  before  I had  made  good 
many  paces,  1 heard  a violent  snorting  at  my  heels,  and  had 
only  time  to  lire  my  gun  at  random  into  his  head,  when  I felt 
myself  impaled  on  his  horn. 

“The  shock  stunned  me  completely.  The  first  return  to 
consciousness  was,  I recollect,  finding  myself  seated  on  one*  of 
my  ponies,  and  a Caffre  leading  it.  I had  an  indistinct  notion 
of  having  been  hunting  ; and,  on  observing  the  man,  I asked 
quickly  why  he  was  not  following  the  track  of  the  animal,  when 
he  mumbled  something  to  the  effect  that  it  was  gone. 

“By  accident  I touched  my  right  hip  with  my  hand,  and  on 
withdrawing  it,  was  astonished  to  find  it  clotted  with  blood. 
Yet  my  senses  were  still  so  confused,  and  the  side  so  benumbed. 


312 


A CROTCHET. 


that  I actually  kept  feeling  and  working  the  wound  with  iny 
fingers.  Whilst  trying  to  account  for  my  strange  position,  I 
observed  some  of  my  men  coming  towards  me  with  a cartel,  and 
on  asking  them  what  they  were  about,  they  cried  out  that  they 
had  come  to  fetch  my  body,  having  been  told  that  I was  killed 
by  some  animal.  The  truth  now,  for  the  first  time,  broke  upon 
me,  and  I was  quickly  made  aware  of  my  crippled  condition. 
The  wound  I had  received  was  of  a very  serious  character,  and, 
though  it  ultimately  healed,  it  left  scars  behind  which  no  doubt 
will  remain  to  the  day  of  my  death.” 

We  are  fond  of  the  marvelous.  It  is  generally  received  as  a 
fact  that  the  hide  of  the  rhinoceros  is  impenetrable  to  a bullet, 
or  even  to  an  iron  ingot,”  as  a certain  writer  quaintly  ex- 

presses it.  But  this  is  just  as  idle  a notion,  as  regards  the 
African  species  at  least,  as  that  entertained  respecting  the 
softness  and  pliability  of  the  animal’s  horns;  for  a common 
leaden  ball  will  find  its  wav  through  the  hide  with  the  greatest 
facility.  It  is  true  one  should  be  near  the  brute  ; for,  though 
I have  known  a rhinoceros  killed  at  the  distance  of  a hundred 
yards,  it  is  an  exception  to  the  rule.  Indeed;  beyond  thirty  or 
forty  paces  one  cannot  make  sure  of  the  shot.  Under  all  cir- 
cumstances. a double  charge  of  powder  is  desirable. 

Though  a common  leaden  ball  may  do  the  work  well  enough, 
I would  not  recommend  it.  The  best  metal  is  spelter,  which 
has  almost  the  hardness  of  iron,  with  all  the  weight  of  lead  ; 
but  it  is  often  difficult  to  procure.  For  want  of  a better,  two- 
thirds  lead  and  one-third  solder,  answers  the  purpose  very 
well. 

The  most  deadly  part  to  aim  at,  is  just  behind  the  shoulder; 
a ball  through  the  center  of  the  lobes  of  the  lungs  is  certain  to 
cause  almost  instantaneous  death.  From  the  very  solid  struc- 
ture of  the  head,  the  great  thickness  of  the  hide  on  that  part, 
the  position  of  the  horns,  the  smallness  of  the  brain,1  a shot  in 
the  head  rarely,  or  never,  proves  fatal.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  the  breast. 

However  severely  wounded  the  rhinoceros  may  be,  he  seldom 
bleeds  externally.  This  is  attributable  in  part,  no  doubt,  to  the 
great  thickness  of  the  hide,  and  its  elasticity,  which  occasions 
the  hole  caused  by  the  bullet  nearly  to  close  up  ; as  also  from 

1 Sparrman  says  that  the  cavity  containing  the  brains  of  a rhinoceros  that  he 
shot  was  only  six  inches  long,  and  four  high,  and  of  an  oval  shape.  On  being 
fiilled  with  peas,  it  was  found  to  hold  barely  one  quart ; a human  skull  measured 
at  the  same  time,  did  not  require  much  less  than  three  pints  to  till  it. 


HOW  THE  RHINOCEROS  BLEEDS  WHEN  WOUNDED.  813 


(he  hide  not  .being  firmly  attached  to  the  body,  but  constantly 
moving.  If  the  animal  bleed  at  all,  it  is  from  the  mouth  and 
nostrils,  which  is  a pretty  sure  sign  that  it  is  mortally  stricken, 
and  the  chances  are,  it  will  be  found  dead  within  a short  dis 
tance. 

The  number  of  rhinoceroses  destroyed  annually  in  South 
Africa  is  very  considerable.  Of  this,  some  idea  may  be  formed, 
when  I mention  that  Messrs.  Oswell  and  Vardon  killed,  in  one 
year,  no  less  than  eighty-nine  of  these  animals  ; in  my  present 
journey,  I,  myself,  shot,  single-handed,  nearly  two-thirds  of 
this  number. 


i 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  GHANZE NECTAR  IN  THE  DESERT DIFFICULTY  IN  FIND- 
ING WATER 'ARRIVE  AT  ABEGHAN UNSUCCESSFUL  CHASE A “ CHARM” 

HOW  TO  MAKE  THE  UNDRINKABLE  DRINKABLE AN  ELEPHANT  WOUND- 
ED AND  KILLED BOLD  AND  COURAGEOUS  DOC KOBIS AUTHOR  SEIZED 

WITH  A SINGULAR  MALADY MESSENGERS  DISPATCHED  TO  THE  CHIEF 

OF  THE  LAKE  NGAMI A LARGE  TROOP  OF  ELEPHANTS AUTHOR  KILLS 

A HUGE  MALE LIONS  AND  GIRAFFE AUTHOR’S  HAIR-BREADTH  ESCAPES  : 

FROM  A BLACK  RHINOCEROS  ; FROM  A WHITE  RHINOCEROS  ; FROM  TWO 
TROOPS  OF  ELEPHANTS  ; HE  SHOOTS  A COUPLE  OF  HIS  ADVERSARIES 
WHERE  TO  AIM  AT  AN  ELEPHANT. 

Having  enjoyed  a good  deal  of  shooting,  and  feasted  our- 
selves and  bushmen  on  rhinoceros’  flesh  to 'our  hearts’  content, 
we  left  Ghanze  on  the  23rd  of  June.  The  first  portion  of 
the  country  through  which  our  road  led  was  very  thorny ; 
but  the  bush  gradually  opened,  and  we  journeyed  with  more 
ease. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  day  after  our  departure,  I caused  my 
horse  to  be  saddled,  and  rode  off’  to  look  for  water.  About 
noon,  I reached  a hollow  of  a similar  nature  as  Ghanze,  but  on 
a smaller  scale.  I thought  I perceived  indications  of  the  exist- 
ence of  water;  and,  having  “ hobbled”  the  steed,  went  in  search 
of  it.  The  elephants,  however,  had  so  trampled  the  place  that, 
though  I could  not  doubt  of  water  being  there,  I soon  found 
that  it  was  only  to  be  had  by  a vast  deal  of  labor. 

Whilst  reflecting  on  what  was  best  to  do,  whether  to  remain 
and  clear  out  the  pit,  or  to  push  on  in  hopes  of  finding  another 
watering-place,  I observed  several  small  birds  flying  in  and  out 
at  a small  crevice  in  the  limestone-rock.  Running  to  the  spot, 


NECTAR  IN  THE  DESERT. 


315 


[ discovered  a narrow,  circular  aperture,  about  two  feet  broad, 
and  perhaps  twice  as  much  in  depth,  with  something  at  the 
bottom  reflecting  light.  Taking  for  granted  that  it  was  water 
which  thus  shone,  and  being  tormented  with  thirst,  I leapt  into 
the  hole,  and  greedily  swallowed  a large  quantity.  I was  too 
eager  to  be  able  to  distinguish  its  taste  ; but,  having  somewhat 
slaked  my  burning  thirst,  my  palate  resumed  its  function,  and 
I thought  I had  never  experienced  so  abominable  a flavor. 
Imagine  my  horror,  when,  taking  a small  portion  in  the  hollow 
of  my  hand  and  holding  it  up  to  the  light,  I found  I had  been 
drinking  blood,  mixed  with  the  refuse  of  some  wild  animal  ! I 
shall  never  forget  the  loathing  I felt  on  making  this  discovery  ; 
and,  though  my  stomach  was  presently  relieved  of  its  nauseous 
contents,  I long  retained  a qualmish  sensation.  The  mystery 
was,  however,  cleared  up.  On  a more  close  examination  of  the 
aperture  in  question,  it  was  found  that  a herd  of  zebras  had, 
like  myself,  been  looking  for  water,  and  in  so  doing,  one  of 
them  had  fallen  in,  and  been  found  and  killed  by  the  bushmen. 
Hence  the  blood  and  offal  of  the  unfortunate  animal. 

As  soon  as  the  men  arrived  with  the  cattle,  every  person  who 
could  be  spared  was  employed  in  cleaning  out  the  hole  where  I 
had  at  first  seen  indications  of  water.  Large  fragments  of  rock, 
which  the  bulky  forms  of  elephants  and  other  gigantic  animals 
had  pushed  into  the  cavity,  were  I'emoved  after  immense  exer- 
tions. Occasionally,  in  displacing  a firmly-imbedded  stone  or 
piece  of  wood,  the  pure  liquid  would  gush  forth  with  great 
vigor',  and  we  flattered  ourselves  that  we  had  found  the  “ eye” 
of  a spring;  but  the  next  instant  all  our  hopes  vanished.  After 
eight  or  nine  hours’  hard  work,  our  best  endeavors  to  discover 
any  steady  supply  of  water  proved  abortive.  The  little  we 
did  obtain — sufficient  for  the  horses  and  dogs — wTas  of  such 
questionable  quality,  that,  thirsty  as  we  were,  it  was  with  the 
utmost  repugnance  we  could  prevail  on  ourselves  to  swallow  a 
few  mouthfuls. 

At  break  of  da,y  the  next  morning,  we  renewed  our  labors, 
but  with  no  better  success.  I now  became  anxious  for  the  safety 
of  the  cattle,  which  began  to  show  symptoms  of  distress.  Mount- 
ing my  horse,  and  guided  by  two  active  bushmen,  I rode  briskly  in 
the  direction  of  the  Lake,  giving  orders  to  my  men  to  continue 
their  exertions  during  the  remainder  of  the  day,  but,  should 
they  not  succeed  in  obtaining  a sufficiency  of  drink  for  the  cattle 
by  the  next  morning,  they  were  to  follow  on  my  .tracks. 

I had  ridden  long.  The  sun  had  already  sunk  below  the  tree- 
tops,  and  yet  no  water.  The  bushmen,  however,  gave  me  to 


316 


WATER  DISCOVERS  D A CHARM. 


understand  by  signs  that  it  was  not  far  off,  and  the  number  of 
wild-beast-tracks  gave  weight  to  their  assertion.  At  last,  the 
noisy  chattering  of  guinea-fowls,  the  cooing  of  doves,  and 
the  screams  of  paroquets,  broke  on  my  ear,  and  indicated  a 
more  favorable  vicinity.  Putting  spurs  to  my  horse,  I struck 
into  a large  “game  path,”  and  just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  below 
the  horizon,  I came  alongside  a large  sheet  of  clear  water.  I 
felt  truly  thankful,  and  only  wanted  my  own  people  and  cattle 
to  complete  my  happiness.  This  place,  according  to  my  inter- 
preter, was  called  Abeghan. 

At  dark,  I tied  up  my  horse  some  little  distance  from  the 
water,  cut  him  an  ample  supply  of  grass  with  my  hunting  knife, 
and,  having  struck  a light  for  the  bushmen,  and  given 
them,  as  a reward  for  their  services,  the  piece  of  flesh  we  car- 
ried with  us,  I shouldered  my  rifle  and  proceeded  to  the  foun- 
tain with  a view  of  procuring  something  for  the  larder.  It  was 
a glorious  night.  The  sky  was  dark,  but  studded  with  inriu-  i 
merable  twinkling  stars  reflected  in  the  watery  mirror  below.  For 
some  fifty  paces,  the  locality  was  tolerably  free  from  bushes ; 
and  on  one  side  the  prospect  extended  nearly  a quarter  of  a 
mile  through  an  avenue  lined  on  either  side  with  noble  Damara 
“parent  trees.”  Elsewhere  the  darkness  was  impenetrable. 
Silence,  like  that  of  the  sepulchre,  reigned  in  this  remote  soli- 
tude, relieved,  at  long  intervals,  by  the  hyaena  and  the  jackal 
lapping  the  water,  and  the  distant  grunting  of  the  rhinoceros. 
The  latter,  however,  took  care  not  to  come  within  range  of  the 
rifle. 

At  the  return  of  daylight,  having  then  been  already  twenty- 
four  hours  without  food,  I felt  very  hungry,  and  hastened  back 
to  the  bushmen  to  see  whether  they  had  left  any  of  the  flesh  I 
had  given  them,  but  I might  as  well  have  searched  the  dens  of 
ravenous  wolves  as  the  lair  of  these  starved  “ children  of  the 
desert.”  Indeed,  they  looked  very  crestfallen  when  I announced 
my  bad  luck. 

Fearing  my  men  might  possibly  delay  in  following  me,  I 
wrote  a few  hurried  lines  in  my  note-book,  and  tearing  out  the 
leaf,  handed  it  to  one  of  the  guides  with  the  intimation  that  he  j 
must  hasten  back  whence  he  came.  But  having  never  seen  a 
piece  of  paper  before,  he  received  it  at  first  with  caution,  and 
taking  it  between  two  of  his  fingers,  began  blowing  on  it,  think- 
nig  probably  it  was  a kind  of  “ charm”  for  better  luck.  Seeing  me 
smile,  he  took  courage  and  blew  still  harder.  This  was  too 
much,  and  1 burst  into  a roar  of  laughter,  in  which  I was 
heartily  joined  by  my  tawny  friend.  However,  after  numerous 


HOW  TO  MAKE  THE  UNDRINKABLE  DRINKABLE.  31A 

signs  and  gestures,  I made  him  comprehend  my  wishes,  and  oil' 
he  started  to  meet  the  caravan. 

After  another  twelve  hours’  fasting  and  waiting,  and  just  as 
it  was  getting  dark,  I had  the  satisfaction  to  see  the  whole 
party  arrive  safely.  They  had  succeeded  in  procuring  enough 
water  for  almost  all  the  oxen. 

To  guard  against  thirst  by  the  way,  the  men  had  brought  two 
wooden  kegs  of  water  from  the  last  halting-place.  Seeing  Timbo 
about  to  take  his  fill  from  one  of  the  vessels  in  question,  I ob- 
served to  him  that  there  was  surely  no  longer  any  necessity  to 
partake  of  such  villainous  stuff.  He  nevertheless  drank, 
exclaiming,  “Master,  the  water  is  capital!”  “Nonsense,”  I 
ejaculated  skeptically,  “you  don’t  mean  to  say  that  that  abomi- 
nable fluid  is  good.”  “Well,”  he  rejoined,  “if  master  won’t 
believe  me,  he  better  try  it  himself.”  Less  from  any  faith  in 
what  he  said,  than  from  curiosity,  I did  taste  it,  and,  truly 
enough,  it  was  “ capital.”  Even  the  smell  had  vanished.  Every- 
body agreed  in  praising  its  excellence.  I could  not  account 
for  so  great  a marvel,  but  supposed  that  under  the  influence  of 
the  sun  the  water  had  undergone  some  chemical  change.  In 
the  course  of  twelve  hours,  four  gallons  of  turbid  water  had, 
without  any  apparent  cause,  been  converted  into  a fluid  as 
bright  and  sweet  as  was  ever  drawn  from  fresh  spring. 

On  leaving  the  pestiferous  fountain,  I intrusted  young  Bon- 
field  with  my  watch,  in  order  that  he  might  ascertain  the 
number  of  hours  they  were  on  the  road.  On  again  meeting  the 
lad,  he  told  me  in  a flurried  manner  that  he  thought  there  was 
something  the  matter  with  the  “piece,”  as  it  would  not  go 
properly.  The  truth  at  once  flashed  across  me.  In  winding  it 
up,  he  had  forcibly  pushed  it  the  wrong  way,  and  thus  made  it 
useless.  I cannot  describe  my  feelings  on  ascertaining  this 
fact.  My  chronometer,  and  another  watch,  had  some  time 
previously  ceased  to  act.  This  was  my  last  time-piece.  I had 
no  longer  the  means  of  going  on  with  my  observations.  Lati- 
tudes 1 could  still  manage,  but  as  for  longitudes,  the  most  im- 
portant, it  was  out  of  the  question — at  least,  I thought  so  at  the 
time.  I had  indulged  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  settle  the 
position  of  the  Lake. 

I was  totally  unacquainted  with  the  mechanism  of  a watch  ; 
but  necessity  has  no  law,  and,  as  a last  chance,  I determined  to 
pull  it  to  pieces,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  its  stopping. 
Twice  I did  so,  and  twice  I successfully  put  it  together,  but 
;t  would  not  go  properly.  I dissected  it  a third  time,  but  was 
even  less  fortunate  than  before,  for  the  chain  snapped  in  two 


318 


COURAGEOUS  DOG ITS  SAGACITY. 


places.  Nothing  daunted,  however,  I procured  a very  fine, 
well-dried  gut,  with  which  I tried  to  splice  it ; but  it  is  easy  to 
imagine  the  result.  I believe  at  that  moment  I would  have 
freely  given  the  best  half  of  what  I possessed  in  this  world — 1 
and  that,  perhaps,  after  all,  was  not  much — for  a good  strong 
watch. 

The  second  night  after  my  arrival  at  Abeghan,  and  when  lying 
in  wait  near  the  water  for  wild  animals,  I was  surprised  by 
three  huge  bull  elephants,  whose  approach  had  been  so  silent 
that,  before  I was  aware  of  their  presence,  they  were  within 
ten  paces  of  me.  I was  ambushed  in  a very  exposed  place,  but 
nevertheless  stoutly  held  my  ground,  and,  taking  a steady  aim  Ij 
at  the  foreleg  of  the  leader,  fired.  As  he  wheeled  about,  I 
saluted  him  with  the  contents  of  the  second  barrel.  He  gave  a jj 
loud  shriek,  and,  curling  up  his  trunk,  trotted  quickly  away. 
The  next  day  we  followed  many  a weary  mile  on  his  track.  ' 
He  had  separated  from  the  rest,  but  we  were  unable  to  overtake 
him.  Some  time  afterwards,  however,  I heard  of  his  death. 
The  bushmen  brought  the  tusks. 

The  same  evening,  I shot  a couple  of  rhinoceroses.  One  of 
them,  on  receiving  my  ball,  made  a headlong  charge,  and  was  1 
so  (dose  upon  me  that,  to  avoid  actual  contact,  I threw  myself 
backwards,  and  fell  to  the  ground.  He  then  ran  a few  hundred  1 
yards,  when  he  came  to  a stand.  At  break  of  day,  my  men 
went  on  his  trail.  He  had  still  strength  enough  to  make  a dash 
at  them,  and  would  probably  have  laid  hold  of  some  of  them, 
had  not  a small  bitch  (half-terrier  and  half-bull  dog),  called 
“ Venus”  (in  derision  of  her  ugliness),  caught  the  enraged  ani- 
mal by  the  lower  lip,  where  she  stuck  with  such  tenacity  that 
the  rhinoceros,  with  all  his  fury,  was  unable  to  shake  her  off. 
She  only  relinquished  her  hold  when  her  huge  antagonist  was 
fairly  laid  prostrate  by  a ball. 

But  the  sagacity  of  this  favorite  dog  was  as  great  as  her 
courage.  Being  now  in  a game  country,  all  sorts  of  beasts  of 
prey  abounded,  more  especially  jackals,  which  might  be  seen 
running  about  by  dozens.  In  order  not  to  frighten  the  ele- 
phants and  other  large  animals,  we  were  in  the  habit  of 
encamping  some  little  way  from  the  water  to  which  Miss 
“ Venus”  regularly  resorted  to  bathe  and  drink.  On  perceiving 
a jackal,  she  instantly  crouched,  looking  very  timid..  “ Rey- 
nard,” mistaking  her  posture  as  an  indication  of  fear,  and  prob- 
ably thinking  that,  from  her  diminutive  size,  she  would  prove 
an  easy  conquest,  boldly  approached  his  supposed  victim.  But 
he  had  reckoned  without  mine  host;  for  the  instant  the  cunning  1 


SINGULAR  MALADY. 


319 


dog  found  her  antagonist  sufficiently  near,  she  leapt  like  a cat 
at  his  throat,  and  once  there,  the  beast  had  no  chance.  She 
then  returned  to  camp,  where  her  contented  looks  and  bloody 
jaws  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  men,  who  immediately 
went  on  her  track,  and  brought  the  jackal,  who  was  valued  on 
account  of  his  fur. 

Havihg  dried  some  of  the  flesh  of  the  rhinoceroses,  and  given 
the  rest  to  the  hungry  bushrnen,  who  had  already  began  to 
flock  round  us,  we  set  out  for  Kobis,  which  we  reached  after 
less  than  two  hours’  journeying.  This  place,  owing  probably 
to  heavy  rains  at  no  very  distant  period,  was  a magnificent  sheet 
of  water  (a  glorious  sight  to  our  thirsty  imagination),  swarm- 
ing with  geese  and  ducks.  From  the  number  of  well  and 
freshly-trodden  paths,  we  conjectured  it  to  be  the  great  strong- 
hold of  game — nor  were  we  disappointed.  I,  therefore,  deter- 
mined to  devote  a few  days  here  to  shooting,  and  selected  my 
camp  with  caution  and  to  the  best  of  my  judgment. 

I had  not  been  long  settled  in  my  new  quarters,  when  some 
bushrnen  made  their  appearance,  carrying  bundles  of  reeds 
(intended  as  shafts  for  their  arrows)  which  they  had  brought 
from  the  Lake  jSTgami,  or  “ Tlannis,”  as  they  called  it  in  their 
language.  They  had  been  five  days  on  the  road;  but  said  it 
might  be  reached  in  two.  This  was  cheerful  news.  But  I 
was. nearly  foiled  in  my  plans  on  the  threshold  of  the  object  of 
my  ambition. 

Having,  late  one  night,  with  much  danger  and  difficulty,  suc- 
ceeded in  dispatching  an  enormously  large  white  rhinoceros,  I 
fell  asleep  towards  morning,  overpowered  by  the  exertion  and 
fatigue  of  several  previous  nights’  watching.  I was' awakened 
by  a smarting  sensation  a little  below  the  left  knee  ; and  when 
I reached  my  people,  the  pain  had  become  intolerable.  I was 
compelled  to  go  to  bed  immediately.  The  next  day  the  affect- 
ed part  was  much  inflamed.  The  skin  became  so  tender  that  I 
could  not  bear  even  the  touch  of  my  linen  ; and  when  little 
George  applied  (though  with  the  tenderest  care)  the  lotion  I 
had  prescribed,  I screamed  with  anguish.  No  position  suited 
me.  If  I was  compelled  to  change,  which  could  only  be 
effected  by  another  person’s  assistance,  the  movement  was  ago- 
nizing. 

Apprehending  that  my  illness  might  be  of  some  duration, 
and  knowing  but  too  well  the  character  of  savages,  I deemed 
it  advisable  to  dispatch  one  or  two  of  my'  men  with  a few 
trifling  presents  to  Lecholetebe,  the  chief  of  the  Bechuanas 
and  the  bther  people  who  inhabited  the  borders  of  the  Lake 


320  JACKALS  AND  HYAENAS  LAUGH  AT  AUTHOR. 


Ngami,  to  inform  him  of  my  arrival  in  his. neighborhood  and  the 
motive  of  my  journey.  Timbo,  and  Piet  the  Griqua,  were 
selected  to  carry  out  my  wishes. 

Whilst  anxiously  awaiting  t,hei)*  return,  we  once  more  ran 
short  of  flesh.  I possessed  a few  sheep,  k is  true,  but  I was 
afraid  to  kill  them,  not  knowing  what  the  future  had  in  store 
for  me. 

I,  therefore,  dispersed  my  men  over  the  surrounding  country,! 
but,  though  they  met  with  game  in  abundance,  from  mis- 
management and  bad  shooting,  they  were  unable  to  bag  a sin- 
gle animal. 

One  evening  I desperately  resolved  to  go  to  the  water  my- 
self in  the  hope  of  succeeding  better.  Accordingly  I ordered 
my  servants  to  prepare  a “ skarm,”  and  to  carry  me  there, 
taking  the  chance  of  being  run  over  or  gored  by  elephants  or 
rhinoceroses;  for  in  my  disabled  state,  it  was  impossible,  should 
any  animal  charge,  to  get  out  of  its  way.  Seeing  my  help- 
less condition,  the  men  remonstrated,  but  I was  resolved  to  go, 
and  fortune  favored  me. 

I had  patiently  waited  till  nigh  morning  without  seeing  any- 
thing but  hyaenas  and  jackals.  I believe  these  creatures  knew 
I would  not  hurt  them,  for  they  approached  within  a very  few; 
paces,  staring  and  laughing  at  me  in  the  most  impudent  man- 
ner. I threw  gravel-pebbles  at  them,  but  this  only  served  to 
increase- their  mockery.  I could  stand  it  no  longer,  but  hurled 
my  camp-chair  at  their  heads,  when  they  quickly  betook  them- 
selves to  flight. 

Scarcely  had  they  made  their  exit,  than  I heard  the  heavy 
tramp  of  elephants.  At  this  sound,  my  heart  beat  violently ; 
but  it  was  only  momentarily.  The  next  instant,  I recovered 
my  self-possession.  Pushing  my  gun  gently  over  the  “skarm,” 
I quietly  waited  (without  daring  to  think  of  my  poor  leg)  the 
approach  of  the  giants.  Nearer  and  nearer  they  came;  theii 
steps  were  more  distinct  and  measured;  confused  forms  were! 
seem  advancing  amongst  the  trees.  Gradually  they  assumed] 
shape  ; and,  lo  ! suddenly  a huge  elephant  stood  out  in  bold 
relief  against  the  sky  line;  then  another,  and  another;  till  the 
ground  became  alive  with  their  numbers.  There  must  have 
been  at  least  fifty.  They  hesitated  for  a moment,  but  then 
came  swiftly  on  by  a broad  path,  at  right  angles  to,  and  within 
a dozen  feet  of,  my  place  of  concealment.  I scarcely  dared  tc 
breathe.  The  leader  stood  conspicuously  forth  from  the  rest; 
and,  as  a matter  of  couse,  I selected^  him  for  a mark.  Having 
allowed  the  huge  creature  to  pass  a few  paces  beyond  me,  so  as 


AUTHOR  SHOOTS  AN  ELEPHANT. 


321 


to  have  an  opportunity  of  a second  shot,  I gave  a low  whistle, 
which  instantly  arrested  the  attention  of  the  brutes,  who,  par- 
tially raising  their  huge  ears,  and  describing  with  their  trunks 
eccentric  circles  though  the  air,  seemed  anxiously  to  inquire  the 
cause  of  the  strange  noise.  This  was  my  opportunity  ; and,  in 
an  instant,  the  forest  resounded  with  the  report  of  the  gun. 
Curling  up  his  trunk,  the  stricken  animal  uttered  a faint  cry, 
and,  turning  sharply  round,  staggered  back  whence  lie  came. 
It  was. clear  the  wound  he  had  received  was  mortal;  but  to 
make  more  sure,  I gave  him  the  contents  of  my  second  barrel, 
though,  apparently,  without  effect.  Having  reached  the  skirts 
of  the  wood,  he  tottered,  and  plunging  violently  forward,  came 
heavily  to  the  ground. 

I had  eagerly  watched  the  scene  ; and  now,  strange  to  relate, 
that  the  danger  and  excitement  were  over,  I was  seized  with  a 
violent  tremor.  After  a time,'  however,  when  my  nerves  had 
become  somewhat  composed,  I pushed  down  part  of  the  inclo- 
sure, and,  though  crippled,  crawled  on  all  fours  up  to  the  car- 
cass. Having  ascertained  that  life  was  extinct,  I scrambled  on 
to  the  back  of  the  defunct  elephant,  where,  like  a schoolboy,  I 
seated  myself  in  triumph. 

By  this  time,  the  day  began  to  dawn.  Being  within  hearing 
of  the  camp,  and  feeling  chilly,  I shouted  to  my  people  to  bring 
some  fire.  But,  though  I received  no  answer,  I could  distinctly 
hear  them  in  earnest  conversation,  if  discussing  some  weighty 
matter.  I shouted  again  and  again,  but  with  no  better  suc- 
cess. Being  convinced  they  must  have  heard  me,  I was  puz- 
zled and  vexed  at  not  receiving  a reply.  At  last,  after  having 
waited  fully  a quarter  of  an  hour,  I observed  a number  of  flick- 
ering lights — resembling  so  many  will-o’-the  wisps  and  soon 
afterwards  I was- joined  by  my  men.  The  mystery  of  their 
unaccountable  silence  to  me  was  presently  explained.  It 
appeared  that  on  first  hearing  my  shouts,  which  they  took  to 
be  cries  of  distress,  they  were  struck  with  fear  and  astonish- 
ment ; and,  as  the  shouts  proceeded  from  a rather  different 
quarter  to  that  where  they  had  left  me  on  the  previous  even- 
ing, the}r  were  led  to  suppose  that  some  savage  beast  had  car- 
ried me  away.  Their  own  loud  talking,  it  seemed,  had  arisen 
in  debating  in  what  manner  they  could  best  assist  me.  I 
could  not  help  saying  to  myself — “ 'How  brave  and  considerate  !” 

There  was  now  no  want  of  flesh,  and  the  result  was  great 
rejoicings  The  report  of  my  success  spread  like  wild-fire,  and 
the  animal  was  scarcely  cold  before  scores  of  hungry  bush- 
men — like  so  many  vultures — had  assembled  to  participate  ir 
21 


LIONS  AND  GIRAFFE. 


£22 

the  feast.  Before  noon,  with  the  exception  of  the  sternum,  the 
head,  and  some  of  the  larger  bones,  every  vestige  of  the  giani 
beast  had  disappeared.  The  way  in  which  the  bushmen  gorge 
on  the  carcass  of  elephants  is  very  disgusting;  and  the  process 
of  cutting  it  up,  in  which  they  show  no  little  method  and  dex 
terity,  is  nearly  equally  so. 

Elephants,  rhinoceroses,  gnoos,  zebras,  etc.,  were  now  sho' 
almost  nightly.  Giraffes  were  not  very  numerous  in  this  neigh 
borhood,  but  occasionally  they  made  their  appearance  at  tlx 
pool,  when  I managed  to  get  a shot.1 

Late  one  evening,  in  another  part  of  the  country,  I ha( 
badly  wounded  a lion,  and  at  an  early  hour  on  the  succeeding 
morning  was  following  the  bloody  tracks  of  the  beast,  in  tlx 
hope  of  putting  an  end  to  his  career.  Presently,  we  came  upot 
the  “ spoor”  of  a whole  troop  of'  lions,  as  also  that  of  a solitarj 
giraffe.  So  many  tracks  confused  us  ; and  whilst  endeavor 
ing  to  pick  out  from  the  rest  those  of  the  wouuded  lion,  1 
observed  my  native  attendants  suddenly  rush  forward,  and  thi 
next  instant  the  jungle  re-echoed  with  shouts  of  triumph 
Thi  nking  they  had  discovered  the  lion  we  were  in  pursuit  of,  1 
also  hurried  forward  ; but  imagine  my  surprise,  when  emerg 
ing  into  an  opening  in  the  jungle,  I saw,  not  a dead  lion,  as 
expected,  but  five  living  lions  (two  males  and  three  females) 
two  of  whom  were  in  the  act  of  pulling  down  a splendk 
giraffe,  the  other  three  watching,  close  at  hand,  and  witl 
devouring  looks,  the  deadly  strife.  The  beautiful  ill ustratioi 
facing  the  title-page  of  this  volume  is  an  exact  representatioi 
of  this  most  interesting  incident. 

The  scene  was  of  so  imposing  a nature  that,  for  tb 
moment,  I forgot  I carried  a gun.  The  natives,  however,  ii 
anticipation  of  a “glorious  gorge,”  dashed  madly  forward,  and 
with  the  most  piercing  shrieks  and  yells,  compelled  the  lions  tij 
beat  a hasty  retreat. 

When  I reached  the  giraffe,  now  stretched  at  full  length  o 
the. sand,  it  made  a few  ineffectual  attempts  to  raise  its  neck 
its  body  heaved  and  quivered  for  a moment,  and  the  next  instan 
the  poor  animal  was  dead,  it  had  received  several  deep  gashe 
about  the  flanks  and  chest,  caused  by  the  claws  and  teeth  of  it 
fierce  assailants.  The  strong  and  tough  muscles  of  the  nec 
were  also  bitten  through. 

1 It  was  my  intention  to  introduce  at  length  the  history  of  this  animal , bi 
being  (as  already  alluded  to  in  a preceding  chapter)  jonfined  as  to  space,  I wusij 
though  reluctantly,  abandon  the  idea. 


m 


author’s  hair-breadth  escapes. 


325 


All  thought  of  pursuing  the  wounded  lion  was  now  out  of 
the  question.  The  natives  remained  gorging  on  the  carcass  of 
the  cameleopard  until  it  was  devoured.  A day  or  two  after- 
wards, however,  I had  the  good  fortune  to  fall  in  with  my 
royal  antagonist,  and  finished  him  without  much  difficulty. 

At  Kobis  and  the  neighborhood,  I enjoyed  shooting  to  per- 
fection.1 But  I had  many  hair-breadth  escapes  from  elephants 
and  rhinoceroses. 

One  fine  moonlight  night,  when  snugly  ensconced  in  my 

I‘  skarm,”  and  contemplating  the  strange,  but  picturesque 
scene  before  me,  my  reverie  was  interrupted  by  the  inharmo- 
nious grunting  of  a black  rhinoceros.  He  was  evidently  in  bad 
humor,  for,  as  he  emerged  from  amongst  the  trees  into  more 
open  ground,  I observed  him  madly  charging  anything  and 
everything  that  he  encountered,  such  as  bushes,  stones,  etc. 

SEven  the  whitened  skulls  and  skeletons  of  his  own  species, 
lying  scattered  about  on  the  ground,  were  attacked  with  incon- 

Iceivable  fury.  I was  much  amused  at  his  eccentric  pastime  ; 
but,  owing  to  the  openness  of  the  ground,  and  the  quantity  of 
the  limestone  thereabouts,  which  made  objects  more  distinct, 
he  was  not  easy  of  approach.  However,  after  divesting  myself  of 
my  shoes,  and  all  the  more  conspicuous  parts  of  my  dress,  I man- 
aged to  crawl — pushing  my  gun  before  me — to  within  a short 
distance  of  the  snorting  beast.  As  he  was  advancing  in  a direct 
! line  towards  me,  I did  not  like  to  fire,  because  one  has  little 
chance  of  killing  the  rhinoceros  when  in  that  position.  Hav- 

1 The  accompanying  plate  represents  one  of  those  numerous  and  exciting  scenes 
that  I have  witnessed  at  night,  at  the  water,  when  lying  in  ambush  for  ‘game. 

• There  is  one  fact — a fact  that  has  hitherto  escaped  the  attention  of  the  African 
sportsman — connected  with  this  illustration  that  makes  it  particularly  interest 
; iug,  and  which  induced  me  to  designate  it  “ The  Approach  of  Elephants.”  The 

(animals  are  just  appearing  above  the  distant  hill.  If  the  spring-  or  pool,  as  the 
case  may  he,  be  of  small  extent,  all  the  animals  present  will  invariably  retire  from 
the  water  as  soon  as  they  are  aware  of  the  presence  of  the  elephants,  of  whom  they 
, appear  to  have  an  instinctive  dread,  and  will  remain  at  a respectful  distance  until 
j;  the  giants  have  quenched  their  thirst.  Thus,  long  before  I have  seen,  or  eveu 
j i heard,  the  elephants,  I have  been  warned  of  their  approach  by  the  symptoms  of 
; uneasiness  displayed  by  such  animals  as  happened  to  be  drinking  at  the  time. 

' The  giraffe,  for  instance, -begins  to  sway  his  long  neck  to  and  fro  ; the  zebra  utters' 
I subdued,  plaintive  cries  ; the  gnoo  glides  away  with  a noiseless  step  ; and  even 
the  ponderous  and  quarrelsome  black  rhinoceros,  when  he  has  time  for  reflection, 
will  pull  up  short  in  his  walk  to  listen  ; then,  turning  round,  he  listens  again,  and, 
if  he  feel  satisfied  that  his  suspicions  are  correct,  he  invariably  makes  off.  usually 
giving  vent  to  his  fear  or  ire  by  one  of  his  vicious  and  peculiar  snorts.  Once,  -it 
13  true,  I saw  a rhinoceros  drinking  together  with  a herd  of  seven  male  ele- 
phants ; but  then  he  was  of  the  white  species,  and,  besides,  J do  not  believe  that 
either  party  knew  of  each  other’s  proximity. 


326  ESCAPE  PROM  A TROOP  OF  ELEPHANTS. 


ing  approached  to  within  a few  feet  of  me,  his  attention  was 
attracted,  and  suddenly  uttering  one  of  those  strange  “ blow 
ing”  noises,  so  peculiar  to  the  beast  when  alarmed  or  enraged, 
he  prepared  to  treat  me  in  a similar  manner  to  the  stones  and; 
skulls  he  had  just  so  unceremoniously  tossed  about.  Not  a 
moment  was  to  be  lost;  and,  in  self-defense,  I tired  at  his 
head.  I shall  never  forget  the  confusion  of  the  animal  on  receiv- 
ing the  contents  of  my  gun.  Springing  nearly  perpendicularly 
into  the  air,  and  to  the  height  of  many  feet,  he  came  down  again  j 
with  a thump  that  seemed  to  make  the  earth  tremble — then  j 
plunging  violently  forward  (in  doing  which,  he  all  but  trampled 
on  me),  he  ran  round  and  round  the  spot  for  fully  five  minutes, !j 
enveloping  every  object  in  a cloud  of  dust.  At  last  he  dashed 
into  the  wood  and  was  hidden  from  view.  Not  finding  blood! 
on  his  tracks,  1 had  no  reason  to  suppose  he  w’as  much  hurt.j 
My  notion  is,  the  bullet  struck  his  horn,  partially  stunning 
him  with  its  jarring  violence.  Had  my  gun  missed  fire  when  j 
he  charged,  it  is  more  than  probable  I should  have  been  itn 
paled. 

Again  : having  on  a certain  might  stalked  to  within  a few 
paces  of  a huge  white  rhinoceros  (a  female  as  it  proved),  I put 
a ball  in  her  shoulder;  but  it  nearly  cost  me  dear:  for,  guided! 
by  the  flash  of  the  gun,  s'he  rushed  upon  me  with  such  fury  that 
I had  only  time  to  throw  myself  on  my  back,  in  winch  position 
I remained  motionless.  This  saved  my  life,  for,  not  observing 
me,  she  came  to  a sudden  halt  just  as  her  feet  were  about  to 
crush  my  body.  She  was  so  nearto  me  that  I felt  the  saliva  from 
her  mouth  trickle  on  my  face  ! I was  in  an  agony  of  suspense,' 
though,  happily,  only  for  a moment  ; for,  having  impatiently 
sniffed  the  air,  she  wheeled  about,  and  made  off  at  her  utmost 
speed.  I then  saw,  for  the  first,  time,  that  her. cal f was  in  com- 
pany, and  at  once  recognized  the  pair  as  an  old  acquaintance, 
and  as  specially  vicious  animals. 

On  another  occasion,  when  the  night  was  very  dark,  I crept 
to  within  a short  distance  of  seven  bull-elephants,  and  was  en- 
deavoring to  pick  out  the  largest,  when  I was  startled  by  a 
peculiar  rumbling  noise  close  behind  me.  Springing  to  my  feet 
I perceived,  to  my  surprise  and  alarm,  a semi-circle  of  female 
elephants,  with  their  calves,  bearing  down  upon  me.  My  posi- 
tion was  critical,  being  between  two  fires,  so  to. say,  and  I had 
no  other  choice  than  either  to  plunge  into  the  pool,  which  could 
only  be  crossed  by  swimming,  in  the  face  of  the  male  elephants 
or  to  break  through  the  ranks  of  the  females.  I adopted  the 
latter  alternative,  but  first  fired  at  the  nearest  of  the  SQven  bulls 


. 


WHERE  TO  AIM  AT  AN  ELEPHANT. 


327 


^nd  then,  and  without  a moment’s  delay,  I rushed  on  the  more 
open  rank  of  the  female  phalanx,  uttering,  at  the  time,  loud 
shouts.  My  cries  caused  a momentary  panic  amongst  the  animals, 
of  which  I took  advantage,  and  slipped  out  between  them,  dis- 
charging my  second  barrel  into  the  shoulder  of  the  nearest  as  I 
passed  her.  No  sooner,  however,  had  I effected  my  escape, 
than  the  whole  herd  made  a simultaneous  rush  at  me,  and 
trumpeted  so  shrilly  as  to  cause  every  man  at  the  camp,  as  I 
learnt  afterwards,  to  start  out  of  his  sleep.  Fortunately,  the 
darkness  prevented  the  beasts  from  following  me  ; and,  the 
jungle  being  close  by,  I was  soon  in  safety.  In  my  precipitate 
flight,  however,  I severely  lacerated  my  feet;  for,  when  stalking 
the  elephants,  I had  taken  off  my  shoes,  that  I might  the  better 
steal  upon  them. 

When,  after  a while,  I ventured  out  of  my  place  of  conceal- 
ment, I found  everything  quiet:  only  one  solitary  elephant  re- 
mained. Having  approached  within  a -short  distance,  I could 
distinctly  see  him  laving  water  on  to  his  sides  with  his  trunk.  I 
immediately  suspected  he  belonged  to  the  troop  of  seven  bulls, 
and  was  the  one  that  I had  fired  at.  Seating  myself  right  across 
his  path,  I quietly  watched  his  proceedings.  After  a time  I saw 
him,  as  I thought,  moving  off  in  an  opposite  direction.  But  I 
was  mistaken  ; for  in  another  instant  his  towering  form  loomed 
above  me.  It  was  too  late  to  get  out  of  his  way,  so,  quickly 
raising  myself  on  one  knee,  I took  a steady  aim  at  his  fore  leg. 
On  receiving  the  ball,  he  uttered  the  most  plaintive  cries,  and 
rushing  past  me,  soon  disappeared  in  the  neighboring  forests 
The  next  afternoon  he  was  discovered  dead  within  rifle-shot  of 
the  water.  It  had  been  a very  successful  night  ; for  a fine 
female  elephant  had  also  fallen  to  my  other  shot.1 

1 I lost  many  noble  beasts  from  the  small  calibre  of  my  guns,  which  did  not 
carry  more  than  fourteen  and  seventeen  balls  respectively  to  the  pound.  This 
was  more  especially  the  case  as  regarded  the  elephants  : and  it  was  not  until 
after  a time,  and  when  they  had  become  scarce  and  shy.  that  I found  out  the  way 
of  bringing  them  down  with  any  certainty  at  one  or  two  shots.  I found  the  best 
part  to  aim  at  (when  shooting  by  night)  was  the  shoulder,  either  behind  or  in  the 
centre,  near-  to  the  lower  edge  of  the  ear.  Another  good  point,  provided  the  gun, 
be  of  large  calibre,  is  to  fire  at  the  leg,  which  once  broken,  the  animal,  in  almost, 
every  instance,  is  completely  at  the  mercy  of  the  hunter. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


BIMBO’S  RETURN  FROM  THE  LAKE  ; HIS  LOGIC  ; HE  TAKES  THE  LAW  IN  j 

HIS  OWN  HANDS CALF  OF  AUTHOR’S  LEG  GOES  ASTRAY A TROOP 

OF  ELEPHANTS AUTHOR  IS  CHARGED  BY  ONE  OF  THEM,  AND  NAR-j 

ROWLY  ESCAPES  DEATH HE  SHOOTS  A WHITE  RHINOCEROS HE  DIS- 
ABLES A BLACK  RHINOCEROS HE  IS  CHARGED  AND  DESPERATELY  BRUISED 

AND  WOUNDED  BY  THE  LATTER HE  SAVES  THE  LIFE  OF  HIS  ATTEND-; 

ANT,  KAMAPYU AUTHOR  AGAIN  CHARGED  BY  THE  RHINOCEROS,  AND 

ESCAPES  DESTRUCTION  ONLY  BY  THE  OPPORTUNE  DEATH  OF  HIS  AN-  jj 
TAGONIST REFLECTIONS HE  STARTS  FOR  THE  NGAMI. 

After  about  a week’s  absence,  Timbo  returned.  I learned 
from  him  that,  previously  to  his  arrival  at  the  Ngami,  Lecho- 
letebe,  the  chief,  had  not,  contrary  to  my  expectations,  been 
made  aware  of  my  approach ; and  the  sudden  appearance  of 
strangers,  therefore,  created  no  small  degree  of  surprise  and} 
consternation  both  to  him  and  his  people,  who  fled  precipitately 
with  their  flocks.  . i 

Many  years  before,  when  my  friends,  the  Damaras,  extended 
their  migrations  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  Lake  in  question, 
the  Bechuanas  were  in  the  habit  of  robbing  them  of  their  cattle. 
“ Ho  w does  it  happen” — said  Lec’noletebe  to  Timbo — “that  then 
Damaras  are  your  servants  ? They  are  a mighty  nation,  rich  in 
cattle,  which  I know  well,  because  my  father  fought  many  a 
bloody  battle  with  them.  We  invariably  came  off  victorious, 
though  often  at  the  cost  of  numbers  of  our  warriors,  who  were 
slain  by  the  broad  assegai  of  the  Damaras.  All  is  not  right.1 
Is  your  master  richer  than  they  ?” 

To  this  query  Timbo  logically  replied,  “ No  ! my  master  nc 
rich  ; master  very  poor;  but  master  has  something,  and  Damaras 
nothing;  therefore,  master  more  rich  than  Damaras.” 


CALF  AND  SHIN-BONE  CHANGE  PLACES.  329 

Timbo  then  explained  the  way  in  which  that  tribe  had  been 
impoverished  and  nearly  exterminated,  as  also  the  motives  of 
our  journey.  On  hearing  all  this,  the  apprehensions  of  the 
chief  gradually  subsided,  and  he  became  more  communicative 
and  friendly,  urging  Timbo  to  return  to  me  without  delay,  and 
hurry  on  my  departure,  being  anxious,  as  he  said,  for  my  arrival; 
he,  moreover,  hinted  that  he  would  forthwith  send  men  to  meet 
and  assist  us  in  our  progress.  But  here  end$d  his  courtesy;  for, 
subsequently,  he  allowed  our  party,  whilst  at  his  town,  all  but 
to  starve.  It  seems  a characteristic  of  black  chieftains  to  be 
avaricious. 

Previously  to  reaching  Lecholetebe’s  residence,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  cross  the  Zouga,  his  town  having  been  removed  to  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  from  fear,  as  it  is  said,  of  Sekomo,  another 
Bechuana  chieftain.  When  Timbo  and  his  party  were  on  their 
return  to  me,  the  natives  refused  to  ferry  them  over  the  river 
without  payment.  “ Me  have  no  money,”  said  Timbo ; “ but 
me  soon  make  Caffres  do  it  for  nothing : me  say,  ‘ So  you  will 
not  row  me  across!’  And  with  that  me  lay  hold  of  big  stick, 
and  me  pitch  into  the  rascals.  Oh,  master,  such  fun  ! me  now 
get  plenty  of  boats.”  “ But  were  you  not  afraid  of  resorting 
to  such  severe  measures?”  I inquired.  “Me  frightened,”  he 
exclaimed  ; “ no,  me  flog  natives  very  well  ; it  do  them  plenty 
good  ; the  fellows  too  lazy  to  do.  work.” 

I now  resolved  to  lose  no  more  time,  but  to  push  on  at  once 
to  the  Lake.  My  leg  had  in  some  degree  recovered  its  strength  ; 
but.  unobserved  by  me,  it  had  received  a somewhat  ugly  twist. 
Little  George  first  drew  my  attention  to  the  fact : “ Sir,”  said 
he  “ your  leg  has  grown  crooked.” 

“ Crooked  !”  echoed  I,  somewhat  angrily.  “ What  do  you 
mean  ?” 

“ Only,”  he  wickedly  replied,  “ the  calf  is  nearly  where  the 
shin  ought  to  be.” 

The  boy’s  remark  was  not  without  foundation  ; but  in  time 
the  leg  assumed  its  proper  shape. 

Notwithstanding  my  anxious  desire  to  reach  the  Ngami — the 
goal  of  my  wishes — I determined,  before  finally  leaving  Kobis, 
to  devote  one  more  day,  or  rather  night,  to  the  destruction  of 
the  denizens  of  the  forest.  But  the  adventure  nearly  terminated 
fatally  ; and  the  night  of  the  15th  of  July  will  ever  be  remem- 
bered by  me  as  one  of  the  most  eventful  epochs  of  my  life  ; for, 
in  the  course  of  it,  I was  three  several  times  in  the  very  jaws 
of  death,  and  only  escaped  destruction  by  a miracle. 

From  the  constant  persecution  to  which  the  larger  game  had 


ELEPHANTS  APPROACHING 


330 


of  late  been  subjected  at  Kobis,  it  had  become  not  only  scarce, 
but  wary  ; and  hearing  that  elephants  and  rhinoceroses  still 
continued  to  resort  to  Abeghan,  I forthwith  proceeded  there  on;1 
the  night  in  question.  Somewhat  incautiously,  I took,  up  my 
position — alone,  as  usual— on  a narrow  neck  of  land  dividing  , 
two  small  pools  ; the  space  on  either  side  of  my  “ skarm”  being 
only  sufficient  for  a large  animal  to  stand  betweeu  me  and  the 
water.  I was  provided  with  a blanket,  and  two  or  three  spare 
guns. 

It  was  one  of  those  magnificent  tropical  moonlight  nights,  j[ 
when  an  indescribably  soft  and  enchanting  light  is  shed  over 
the  slumbering  landscape;  the  moon  was  so  bright  and  clear 
that  I could  discern  even  a small  animal  at  a considerable  dis- 
tance. 

I had  just  completed  my  arrangements,  when  a noise,  that  I 
can  liken  only  to  the  passage  of  a train  of  artillery,  broke  the 
stillness  of  the  air:  it  evidently  came  from  the  direction  of  one 
of  the  numerous  stony  paths,  or  rather  tracks,  leading  to  the 
water,  and  1 imagined  it  was  caused  by  some  wagons  that  might 
have  crossed  the  Kalahari.  Raising  myself  partially  from  my 
recitmbent  posture,  I fixed  my  eyes  steadily  on  the  part  of  the 
bush  whence  the  strange  sounds  proceeded  ; but  for  some  time 
I was  unable  to  make  out  the  cause.  All  at  once,  however,  the 
mystery  was  explained  by  the  appearance  of  an  immense  ele- 
phant, immediately  followed  by  others,  amounting  to  eighteen. 
Their  towering  forms  told  me  at  a glance  that  they  were  all 
males.  It  was  a splendid  sight  to  behold  so  many  huge  crea- 
tures approaching  with  a free,  sweeping,  unsuspecting,  and 
stately  step.  The  somewhat  elevated  ground  whence  they 
emerged,  and  which  gradually  sloped  towards  the  water,  to- 
gether with  the  misty  night-air,  gave  an  increased  appearance 
of  bulk  and  mightiness  to  their  naturally  giant  structures. 

Crouching  down  as  low  as  possible  in  the  “ skarm,”  I waited 
with  beating  heart  and  ready  rifle  the  approach  of  the  leading 
male,  who,  unconscious  of  peril,  was  making  straight  for  my 
hiding-place.  The  position  of  his  body,  however,  was  unfavor- 
able for  a shot ; and, 


chance  of  obtaining-  more 


Knowing  from  experience  that  I had  little 


than  a single 


good  one,  1 waited  for 


an  opportunity  to  fire  at  his  shoulder,  which,  as  before  said,  is, 
preferable  to  any  other  part  when  shooting  at  night.  But  this 
chance,  unfortunately,  was  not  afforded  till  his  enormous  bulk 
towered  above  my  head.  The  consequence  was,  that,  while  in 
the  act  of  raising  the  muzzle  of  my  rifle  over  the  “ skarm,”  my 
his  eye,  and,  before  I could  place  the  piece  to  my 


body  caught 


AUTHOR  ESCAPES  DEATH  B Y A MIRACLE. 


333 


shoulder,  he  swung  himself  round,  and,  with  trunk  elevated  and 
' ears  spread,  desperately  charged  me.  It  was  now  too  late  to 
think  of  flight,  much  less  of  slaying  the  savage  beast.  My  own 
life  was  in  •imminent  jeopardy;  and  seeing  that,  if  I remained 
partially  erect,  he  would  inevitably  seize  me  with  his  proboscis, 
1 threw  myself  on  my  back  with  some  violence  ; in  which  posi- 
tion, and  without  shouldering  the  sifle,  I fired  upwards  at  ran- 
» dom  towards  his  chest,  uttering,  at  the  Same  time,  the  most 
piercing  shouts  and  cries.  The  change  of  position,  in  all  human 
probability,  saved  my  life;  for,  at  the  same  instant,  the  trunk  of 
the  enraged  animal  descended  precisely  on  the  spot  where  I had 
been  previously  crouched,  sweeping  away  the  stones  (many  of 
[ a large  size)  that  formed  the  fore  part  of  my  “skarm,”  like  so 
many  pebbles.  In  another  moment  his  broad  fore-feet  passed 
directly  over  my  face. 

I now  expected  nothing  short  of  being  crushed  to  death. 
But  imagine  my  relief,  when,  instead  of  renewing  the  charge, 
he  swerved  to  the  left,  and  moved  oft'  with  considerable  rapid- 
ity— most  happily  without  my  having  received  other  injuries 
than  a few  bruises,  occasioned  by  the  falling  of  the  stones. 
Under  Providence,  I attribute  my  extraordinary  escape  to  the 
confusion  of  the  animal  caused  by  the  wound  I had  inflicted  on 
him,  and  to  the  cries  elicited  from  me  when  in  my  utmost 
need. 

Immediately  after  the  elephant  had  left  me  I was  on  my  legs, 
and,  snatching  up  a spare  rifle  lying  at  hand,  I pointed  at  him, 
as  he  was  retreating,  and  pulled  the  trigger ; but,  to  my  intense 
mortification,  the  piece  missed  fire.  It  was  matter  of  thankful- 
ness to  me,  however,  that  a similar  mishap  had  not  occurred 
when  the  animal  charged;  for,  had  my  gun  not  then  exploded, 
nothing,  as  I conceive,  could  have  saved  me  from  destruction. 

During  this  incident,  the  rest  of  the  elephants  retreated  info 
the  bush  - but,  by  the  time  I had  repaired  my  “ skarm,”  they 
reappeared  with  stealthy  and  cautious  steps  on  the  opposite 
1 side  of  the  pool,  though-  so  distant  that  I could  not  fire  with  any 
prospect  of  success.  As  they  did  not  approach  nearer,  I at- 
; tempted  to  stalk  them,  but  they  would  not  allow  me  to  come 
to  close  quarters;  and  after  a while  moved  off  altogether. 

Whilst  pondering  over  my  late  wonderful  escape,  I observed, 
at  a little  distance,  a huge  wdiite  rhinoceros  protrude  his  ponder 
ous  and  misshapen  head  through  the  bushes,  and  presently 
afterwards  he  approached  to  within  a dozen  paces  of  my  ambus- 
cade. His  broadside  was  then  fully  exposed  to  view,  and,  not- 
withstanding I still  felt  a little  nervous  from  my  conflict  with  the 


«Ti4  WOUNDEfi  BY  A BLACK  RHINOCEROS. 

elephant,  I lost  no  time  in  firing.  The  beast  did  not  at  once 
fall  to  the  ground,  but  from  appearances  I had  every  reason  to 
believe  he  would  not  live  long. 

Scarcely  had  I reloaded  when  a black  rhinoceros  of  the  species 
Keitloa  (a  female,  as  it  proved)  stood  drinking  at  the  water; 
but  her  position,  as  with  the  elephant  in  the  first  instance,  was 
unfavorable  for  a good  shot.  As,  however,  she  was  very  near] 
me,  I thought  I was  pretty  sure  of  breaking  her  leg  and  thereby 
disabling  her;  and  in  this  I succeeded.  My  fire  seemed  to 
madden  her:  she  rushed  wildly  forward  on  three  legs,  when  I 
gave  her  a second  shot,  though  apparently  with  little  or  nc 
effect.  I felt  sorry  at  not  being  able  to  end  her  sufferings  at 
once;  but  as  I was  too  well  acquainted  with  the  habits  of  the 
rhinoceros  to  venture  on  pursuing  her  under  the  circumstances, 

T determined  to  wait  patiently  for  daylight,  and  then  destroy 
her  with  the  aid  of  my  dogs.  But  it  was  not  to  be. 

As  no  more  elephants  or  other  large  game  appeared,  I thought 
after  a time  it  might  be  as  well  to  go  in  search  of  the  white] 
rhinoceros,  previously  wounded;  and  I was  not  long  in  finding 
his  carcass;  for  my  ball,  as  I supposed,  had  caused  his  almost 
immediate  death. 

In  heading  back  to  my  “ skarm,”  I accidently  took  a turn  in 
the  direction  pursued  by  the  black  rhinoceros,  and  by  ill  luck, 
as  the  event  proved,  at  once  encountered  her.  She  was  still 
on  her  legs,  but  her  position,  as  before,  was  unfavorable. 
Hoping,  however,  to  make  her  change  it  for  a better,  and  thus 
enable  me  to  destroy  her  at  once,  I took  up  a stone  and  hurled 
it  at  her  with  all  my  force ; when,  snorting  horribly  erecting 
her  tail,  keeping  her  head  close  to  the  ground,  and  raising 
clouds  of  dust  by  her  feet,  she  rushed  at  me  with  fearful  fury. 

I had  only  just  time  to  level  my  rifle  and  fire  before  she  was 
upon  me  ; and  the  next  instant,  while  instinctively  turning  round 
for  the  purpose  of  retreating,  she  laid  me  prostrate.  The  shock 
was  so  violent  as  to  send  my  rifle,  powder-flask,  and  ball-pouch, 
as  also  my  cap,  spinning  in  the  air;  the  gun,  indeed,  as  after- 
wards ascertained,  to  a distance  of  fully  ten’feet.  On  the  beast 
charging  me,  it  crossed  my  mind  that,  unless  gored  at  once  by 
her  horn,  her  impetus  would  be  such  (after  knocking  me  down, 
which  I took  for  granted  would  be  the  case)  as  to  carry  her  be- 
yond me,  and  I might  thus  be  afforded  a chance  of  escape.  So, 
indeed,  it  happened ; for,  having  tumbled  me  over  (in  doing 
which  her  head,  and  the  fore-part  of  her  body,  owing  to  the  vio- 
lence of  the  charge,  was  half  buried  in  the  sand),  and  trampled 
on  me  with  great  violence,  her  fore-quarter  passed  over  my] 


NATURE  OF  THE  WOUNDS. 


o o ~- 

i / 


body.  Struggling  for  life,  I seized  my  opportunity,  and  as  she 
was  recovering  herself  for  a renewal  of  the  charge,  I scrambled 
out  from  between  her  hind  legs. 

But  the  enraged  beast  had  not  yet  done  with  me  ! Scarcely 
bad  I regained  my  feet  before  she  struck  me.  down  a second 
time,  and  with  her  horn  ripped  up  my  right  thigh  (though  not  very 
deeply)  from  near  the  knee  to  the  hip  : with  her  fore-feet,  more- 
over, she  hit  me  a terrific  blow  on  the  left  shoulder  near  the 
back  of  the  neck.  My  ribs  bent  under  the  enormous  weight 
and  pressure,  and  for  a moment,  I must;  as  I believe,  have  lost 
consciousness — I have  at  least  very  indistinct  notions  of  what 
afterwards  took  place.  All  I remember  is,  that  when  i raised 
my  head,  I heard  a furious  snorting  and  plunging  amongst  the 
neighboring  bushes.  I now  arose,  though  with  great  diffi- 
culty, and  made  my  way,  in  the  best  manner  I was  able, 
towards  a large  tree  near  at  hand,  for  shelter ; but  this  precau- 
tion was  needless;  the  beast,  for  the  time  at  least,  showed  no 
inclination  further  to  molest  me.  Either  in  the  melee,  or  owing 
to  the  confusion  caused  by  her  wounds,  she  had  lost  sight  of  me, 
or  she  felt  satisfied  with  the  revenge  she  had  taken.  Be  that  as 
it  may,  I escaped  with  life,  though  sadly  wounded  and  severely 
bruised,  in  which  disabled  state  I had  great  difficulty  in  getting 
back  to  my  “ skarm.” 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  conflict  I preserved  my 
presence  of  mind  ; but  after  the  danger  was  over,  and  when  I 
had  leisure  to  collect  my  scattered  and  confused  senses,  I was 
seized  with  a nervous  affection,  causing  a violent  trembling.  I 
have  since  killed  many  rhinoceroses,  as  well  for  sport  as  food  ; 
but  several  weeks  elapsed  before  I could  again  attack  those 
animals  with  any  coolness. 

About  sunrise,  Karnapyu,  my  half-caste  boy,  whom  I had 
eft  on  the  preceding  evening,  about  half  a mile  away,  came  to 
the  “skarm”  to  convey  my  guns  and  other  things  to  our  en- 
campment. In  a few  words,  I related  to  him  the  mishap  that 
had  befallen  me.  He  listened  with  seeming  incredulity  ; but 
the  sight  of  my  gashed  thigh  soon  convinced  him  I was  not  in 
joke. 

I afterwards  directed  him  to  take  one  of  the  guns  and  pro- 
ceed in  search  of  the  wounded  rhinoceros,  cautioning  him  to  be 
careful  in  approaching  the  beast,  which  I had  reason  to  believe 
was  not  yet  dead.  He  had  only  been  absent  a few  minutes, 
when  I heard  a cry  of  distress.  Striking  my  hand  against  my 
forehead,  I exclaimed — “ Good  God  ! the  brute  has  attacked  the 
lad,  also !” 

22 


23R 


ATJTHOK  SAVES  KAMA1  YU’s  LIFE. 


Seizing  hold  of  my  rifle,  I scrambled  through  the  bushes  as 
fast  as  my  crippled  condition  would  permit;  and,  when  I had 
proceeded  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  a scene  suddenly  pre- 
sented itself  that  I shall  vividly  remember  to  the  last  days  of  my 
existence.  Amongst  some  bushes,  and  within  a couple  of  yards 
of  each  other,  stood  the  rhinoceros  and  the  young  savage  ; the  for- 
mer supporting  herself  on  three  legs,  covered  with  blood  and 
froth,  and  snorting  in  the  most  furious  manner;  the  latter  petri- 
fied with  fear — spell-bound,  as  it  were — and  riveted  to  the  spot. 
Creeping,  therefore,  to  the  side  of  the  rhinoceros,  opposite  to 
that  on  which  the  boy  was  standing,  so  as  to  draw  her  attention 
from  him,  I leveled  and  fired,  on  which  the  beast  charged  wildly 
to  and  fro  without  any  distinct  object.  Whilst  she  was  thus 
occupied,  I poured  in  shot  after  shot,  but  thought  she  would 
never  fall.  At  length,  however,  she  sank  slowly  to  the  ground  ; 
and,  imagining  that  she  was  in  her  death  agonies,  and  that  all 
danger  was  over,  I walked  unhesitatingly  close  up  to  her,  and 
was  on  the  point  of  placing  the  muzzle  of  my  gun  to  her  ear 
to  give  her  the  coup  de  grace , when,  to  my  horror,  she  once  more 
rose  on  her  legs.  Taking  a hurried  aim,  I pulled  the  trigger, 
and  instantly  retreated,  with  the  beast  in  full  pursuit.  The 
race,  however,  was  a short  one  ; for,  just  as  I threw  myself  into 
a bush  for  safety,  she  fell  dead  at  my  feet,  so  near  me,  indeed, 
that  I could  have  touched  her  with  the  muzzle  of  my  rifle! 
Another  moment  and  I should  probably  have  been  impaled  on 
her  murderous  horn,  which,  though  short,  was  sharp  as  a 
razor.1 

When  reflecting  on  the  wonderful  and  providential  escapes  I 
recently  experienced,  I could  not  help  thinking  that  I had  been 
spared  for  some  good  purpose,  and  my  heart  was  lifted  in  hum- 
ble gratitude  to  the  Almighty  who  had  thus,  extended  over  me 
His  protecting  hand. 

The  second  day  after  the  scenes  described,  my  bruises  began 
to  show  themselves  ; and  on  the  third  day  they  were  fully  de- 
veloped, giving  my  body  a black  and  yellow  hue.  So  far  as  J 
was  aware,  none  of  my  bones  were  broken ; but  burning  ano 
agonizing  pains  in  the  region  of  the  chest  were  clearly  syinp- 

1 The  black  rhinoceros  is,  under  all  circumstances,  as  already  mentioned,  a 
morose  and  sulky  beast.  The  one  in  question  was  unusually  savage,  as  she  had 
probably  a young  sucking  calf.  We  did  not  see  the  latter,  it  is  true,  but  as- 
sumed such  to  be  the  case  from  the  beast’s  teats  being  full  of  milk.  It  is  most! 
likely  that  her  offspring  was  of  too  tender  an  age  to  accompany  her,  and  that,  as 
not  unfrequently  happens,  she  concealed  it  amongst  the  bushes  when  about  te 
quench  her  thirst  at  the  pool. 


REFLECTIONS. 


33b 

tomatic  of  severe  internal  injury.  Indeed,  at  first,  serious  ap- 
prehensions were  entertained  for  my  life.  After  great  suffering, 
however,  I recovered;  and,  as  my  shooting  mania  had  by' this 
time  somewhat  cooled  down,  my  whole  thoughts  were  bent  on 
seeing  the  Ngami.  Though  my  frame  was  quite  unequal  to 
bear  fatigue,  my  spirit  would  not  brook  longer  delay. 

With  the  assistance  of  my  men,  I therefore  mounted  my 
steed,  on  the  23rd  of  July,  and  was  off  for  the  Lake,  leaving  my 
hunting  spoils,  and  other  effects,  under  the  care  of  the  Bushman- 
chief  at  Kobis. 


- 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


START  FROM  KOBIS MEET  BECHUANAS FALSE  REPORT WONDERFUL  RACE 

OF  MEN THE  BAOBOB  TREE THE  NGAMI FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  OF  THE 

LAKE REFLECTIONS EXPERIENCE  SOME  DISAPPOINTMENT REACH  THE 

ZOUGA  RIVER  AND  ENCAMP  NEAR  IT INTERVIEW  WITH  CHIEF  LECHOLE-  | 

TEBE INFORMATION  REFUSED IMMODERATE  LAUGHTER- — PRESENTS  TO  j 

THE  CHIEF HIS  COVETOUSNESS HIS  CRUELTY FORMIDABLE  DIFFICUL- 
TIES  AUTHOR  PERMITTED  TO  PROCEED  NORTHWARDS. 

Our  first  day’s  march  from  Kobis  lay  through  an  exceedingly 
dense  “wait-a-bit”  thorn-coppice,  crossed  in  every  direction  by 
numerous  paths  of  rhinoceroses  and  elephants.  The  soil  con-  I 
sisted  of  soft  and  yielding  sand,  which  made  traveling  very  fa- 
tiguing. The  second  day,  at  an  early  hour,  we  arrived  at  a fine 
vley  of  water,  where  I was  met  by  a number  of  Bechuanas 
(amongst  whom  were  some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  tribe), 
waiting  to  conduct  me  to  Lecholetebe,  who  had  given  them 
orders  to  render  me  any  assistance  I might  require.  Whether 
this  was  from  courtesy,  or  to  serve  his  own  purposes,  I am  un-  j 
certain;  though,  from  what  I afterwards  saw  of  the  chief,  I am 
inclined  to  think  it  was  entirely  from  selfish  motives. 

The  men  in  question  belonged  to  a tribe  called  Batoana,  re-  |j 
siding  on  the  shores  of  the  Lake  Ngami.  They  were  remark- 
ably fine-looking  fellows,  stout  and  well  built,  with  Caffre  fea- 
tures, and  longish  hair.  Their  appearance,  indeed,  was  not 
unlike  that  of  the  Damaras.  One  and  all  were  armed  with  a 
shield  (oblong  in  form,  and  made  of  a single  fold  of  ox-hide),  and  a 
bundle  of  assegais  of  various  descriptions,  each  provided  with 
several  barbs.  What  with  these  formidable  weapons,  and  theii 


BECHUANAS. 


341 


martial  bearing,  the  aspect  of  these  savages  was  imposing  and 
warlike.  They  wore  few  or  no  ornaments. 

By  a liberal  supply  of  tobacco  and  flesh,  we  soon  became 
excellent  friends;  but  all  my  endeavors  to  elicit  information 
about  the  country  were  fruitless.  They  merely  shrugged  theii 
shoulders,  urging  as  an  excuse,  their  ignorance  of  such  matters  ; 
they  said,  however,  that  their  chief  would,  no  doubt,  satisfy  my 
curiosity  on  these  points. 

We  bivouacked  at  the  vley,  where  a great  number  of  bush- 
men — friends  and  relatives  of  those  at  Kobis — also  happened  to 
be  encamped.  Just  as  I had  retired  to  rest,  and  whilst  watch- 
ing with  interest  the  animated  features  and  gestures  of  our  new 
friends,  the  Bechuanas,  who,  by  a glorious  fire,  were  regaling 
themselves  with  the  pipe  and  the  “ flesh-pots,”  Bonfield  came 
running  up  to  me  in  great  haste,  saying: — “Please,  sir,  the 
bushmen  .tell  us  that  Sebetoane,  having  heard  of  our  coming, 
had  sent  a message  to  Lecholetebe  with  orders  to  dispatch  peo- 
ple to  waylay  and  kill  us,  and  that  these  were  the  very  indi- 
viduals to  whom  the  task  was  intrusted  !”. 

Being  myself  bv  this  time  pretty  well  used  to  similarly  ab- 
surd and  unfounded  stories,  and  knowing  that  I had  nothing  to 
fear,  I took  no  notice  of  the  communication,  but  again  returned 
with  as  much  unconcern  as  if  it  had  been  a civilized  country. 
This,  however,  was  far  from  the  case  with  my  men  ; for  the  fol- 
lowing morning  I learnt  that  their  anxiety  had  kept  them  awake- 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  and  that  some  had  actually 
packed  up  their  things,  intending  to  steal  away  secretly. 

The  next  morning  proved  the  groundlessness  of  the  report. 

The  bushmen,  we  found,  had  fabricated  the  story  as  a means 
of  prolonging  my  stay  amongst  them,  in  the  anticipation  of  ob- 
taining an  occasional  gorge  from  the  spoils  of  the  chase.  The 
low  cunning  of  this  people  is  only  equaled  by  their  credulity. 
To  them,  no  tales  can  be  too  ridiculous  and  absurd  for  belief. 
For  instance,  my  bushmen  guides  amused  me  by  relating  one 
evening  that  a tribe  of  black  people  had  just  taken  up  their 
abode  a little  in  advance  of  us,  “ whose  stomachs  rested  on  their 
knees,  and  whose,whole  aspect  was  of  the  most  unnatural  and 
ferocious  character.” 

About  noon  on  the  same  day  we  were  again  en  route.  Instead 
of  feeling  our  way  bv  the  zig-zag  tracks  made  by  rhinoceroses 
and  other  wild  beasts,  our  guides  now  took  us  a straight  cut 
across  the  country,  which  was  densely  wooded. 

The  “wait-a-bit”  thorns  were  extremely  harassing,  tearing  to 
ribbons  our  c!othes,  .carosses,  and  even  pack-saddle  bags,  made  of 


.342 


FIRST  VIEW  OF  THE  LAKE. 


strong  ox-hide.  Notwithstanding  the  wooded  character  of  tiie 
country,  it  affords  excellent  pasturage;  and  the  numerous  old 
wells  and  pits,  found  between  Tunobis  and  the  Ngami,  clearly 
indicate  that  these  regions  have,  at  no  very  remote  period,  been 
largely  resorted  to  by  some  pastoral  people. 

I hoped  to  reach  the  Lake  by  the  evening  ; but  sunset  found 
us  still  at  a distance  from  the  object  of  our  enterprise.  We 
encamped  in  a dense  brake,  near  to  which  were  several  gigantic 
baobob1  trees,  the  first  we  had  seen ; the  stems  of  some  we 
judged  to  be  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  in  circumference.  Find- 
ing abundance  of  fuel,  the  wood  was  soon  illumined  by  numerous 
watch-fires,  around  which,  besides  my  own  party,  were  grouped 
many  a merry  and  laughing  savage,  each  with  his  shield  planted 
as  a guard  behind  him.  Altogether,  the  scene  was  striking  and 
picturesque. 

The  return  of  daylight  found  us  again  on  the  move.  The 
morning  being  cool  and  pleasant,  and  our  goal  near,  the  whole  ; 
party  was  in  high  spirits,  and  we  proceeded  cheerily  on  our  road. 

I myself  kept  well  a-h*ead  in  hope  of  obtaining  the  first  glimpse 
ofNgami.  The  country  hereabout  was  finely  undulated  ; and  |j 
in  every  distant  vale  with  a defined  border  I thought  i saw  a 
lake.  At  last,  a blue  line  of  great  extent  appeared  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  I made  sure  it  was  the  long-sought  object;  but  I was  1 
still  doomed  to  disappointment.  It  turned  out  to  be  merely  a 
large  hollow,  in  the  rainy  season  filled  with  water,  but  now  dry  I. 
and  covered  by  saline  incrustations.  Several  valleys,  separated 
from  each  other  by  ridges  of  sand,  bearing  a rank  vegetation,  j| 
were  afterwards  crossed.  On  reaching  the  top  of  one  of  these 
ridges,  the  natives,  who  were  in  advance  of  our  party,  suddenly  ! 
came  to  a halt,  and,  pointing  straight  before  them,  exclaimed — 
“Ngami ! N^ctini !”  In  an  instant  I was  with  the  men.  There,  jj 
indeed,  at  no  very  great  distance,  lay  spread  before  me  an  im-  jj 
mense  sheet  of  water,  only  bounded  by  the  horizon— the  object  of  jj 
my  ambition  for  years,  and  for  which  I had  abandoned  home 
and  friends,  and  risked  my  life. 

The  first  sensation  occasioned  by  this  sight  was  very  curious. 

1 *■  The  baobob.”  says  Mr.  Livingstone,  “ the  body  of  which  gives  one  the  idea  of 
a mass  of  granite,  from  its  enormous  size,  yields  a fruit  about  the  size  of  a, quart  || 
bottle  ; the  pulp  between  the  seeds  tastes  like  cream  of  tartar,  and  it  is  used  by 
the  natives  to  give  a flavor  to  their  porridge.”  Mr.  Green  writes  me  that  plaits 
have  been  raised  in  England  of  the  baobob  from  seeds  brought  home  by  his  son, 
Frederick  Green,  who  is  at  present  treading  in  my  tracks  in  the  interior  of  South- 
western Africa.  For  further  details  of  the  baobob,  see  “ Saturday  Magazine" 
for  the  year  1832  I 


REACH  NGAM I R EFLECTIONS. 


.‘M3 

Long  as  I had  been  prepared  for  the  event,  it  now  almost  over- 
whelmed me.  It  was  a mixture  of  pleasure  and  pain.  My 
temples  throbbed,  and  my  heart  beat  so  violently,  that  I was 
obliged  to  dismount,  and  lean  against  a tree  for  support,  until 
the  excitement  had  subsided.  The  reader  will  no  doubt  think 
that  thus  giving  way  to  my  feelings  was  very  childish  ; but 
•“those  who  know  that  the  first  glimpse  of  some  great  object, 
which  we  have  read  or  dreamt  of  from  earliest  recollection,  is 
ever  a moment  of  intensest  enjoyment,  will  forgive  the  trans- 
port.” I felt  unfeignedly  thankful  for  the  unbounded  goodness 
and  gracious  assistance  which.  I had  experienced  from  Provi- 
dence, throughout  the  whole  of  this  prolonged  and  perilous 
journey.  My  trials  had  been  many;  but,  my  dearest  aspirations 
being  attained,  the  difficulties  were  all  forgotten.  And  here  I 
could  not  avoid  passing  my  previous  life  in  review.  I had  pene- 
trated into  deserts  almost  unknown  to  civilized  man — had  suffer- 
ed the  extremity  of  hunger  and  thirst,  cold  and  hdat — and  had 
undergone  desperate  toil,  sometimes  nearly  in  solitude,  and  often 
without  shelter  during  dreary  nights  in  vast  wildernesses,  haunt- 
ed by  beasts  of  prey.  My  companions  were  mostly  savages. 
I was  exposed  to  numerous  perils  by  land  and  by  water,  and 
endured  torments  from  wounds  inflicted  by  wild  animals.  Bur, 
I was  mercifully  preserved  by  the  Creator  through  the  manifold 
dangers  that  hovered  round  my  path.  To  Him  are  due  all 
homage,  thanksgiving  and  adoration. 

After  feasting  my  eyes  for  a while  on  the  interesting  scene 
before  me,  we  descended  from  the  higher  ground  towards  the 
take,  which  we  reached  in  about  an  hour  and  a half.  But, 
though  we  breathed  a fresher  atmosphere,  no  perfumed  or  balmy 
scents,  as  might  have  been  anticipated  on  the  borders  of  a tropic- 
al lake,  were  wafted  on  the  breeze. 

Whether  my  expectations  had  been  raised  to  too  high  a pitch, 
or  that  the  grandeur  of  this  inland  sea,  and  the  luxuriance  of  the 
surrounding  vegetation,  had  been  somewhat  exaggerated  by 
travelers,  I must  confess  that,  on  a closer  inspection,  I felt  rather 
disappointed.  In  saying  this,  I must  admit  having  visited  it  at 
a season  of  the  year  little  favorable  to  the  display  of  its  grand- 
eur. But,  if  I am  not  mistaken,  its  discoverers,  Messrs.  Oswell, 
Livingstone,  and  Murray,  saw  it  under  no  more  auspicious  cir- 
cumstances. The  eastern  extremity,  however,  the  only  portion 
ever  seen  by  the  gentlemen  in  question,  certainly  possesses 
superior  attractions  to  the  western,  or  where  I first  struck  upon 
the  Ngami. 

The  Lake  was  now  very  low ; and,  at  the  point  first  seen  bv 


3Li  REACH  THE  ZOUGA  RIVER THE  INTERVIEW. 


us,  exceedingly  shallow.  The  water,  which  had  a very  bitter 
and  disagreeable  taste,  was  only  approachable  in  a few  places, 
partly  on  account  of  the  mud,  and  partly  because  of  the  thick 
coating  of  reeds  and  rushes  that  lined  the  shore,  and  which  were 
a favorite  resort  of  a great  variety  of  water-fowl.  Many  species, 
new  to  us,  were  amongst  them  ; but  we  had  no  time  to  spare  for 
approaching  the  birds. 

We  twice  bivouacked  on  the  south  border  of  Ngarni  before 
coming  in  sight  of  Lecholetebe’s  residence,  situated  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  Zouga,  and  at  a short  distance  from  where  its 
waters  separate  themselves  from  the  Lake. 

I had  accomplished  the  journey  from  Kobis  in  five  days. 
With  unencumbered  oxen,  it  might,  with  some  exertion,  be  made 
in  half  this  time. 

Lecholetebe  requested  me  to  pitch  my  tent  in  his  immediate  Jj 
vicinity ; but  feeling  fatigued,  and  well  knowing  the  inconvenience 
of  being  in  too  close  proximity  to  the  natives,  we  encamped  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Zouga. 

I determined  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  chief  at  an  early  hour 
on  the  following  morning.  To  make  a favorable  impression  on  || 
the  mind  of  savages  at  the  first  interview  is  of  great  importance, 
as  much  of  their  future  good-will  towards  one  depends  on  this; 
and  scarcely  anything  propitiates  them  more  than  outward  show. 

Accordingly,  at  the  contemplated  hour,  I donned  my  best  | 
apparel,  which  consisted  of  jacket  and  trowsers  of-  fine  white  | 
duck,  a handsome  red  velvet  sash,  lined  with  silk  of  the  same 
color,  and  a gold-embroidered  skull-cap. 

The  two  last  articles  of  dress  were  a memento  of  a dear  female 
friend,  and  I had  pledged  myself  to  wear  them  on  the  first  grand 
occasion. 

Having  crossed  the  Zouga  river,  a few  minutes’  walk  brought 
me  to  Batoana-t.own,  the  capital  and  residence  of  Lecholetebe. 

I found  the  chief  seated  on  a wooden  stool,  within  a stout  semi- 
circular palisading,  in  the  midst  of  forty  or  fifty  of  his  followers, 
drinking  coffee.  He  was  attired  in  a half-European  and  half 
barbarous  costume;  his  lower  extremities  were  immersed  in 
pair  of  wide  mole-skin  trowsers  ; he  had  encased  his  feet  in  socks 
and  “veld”  shoes,  whilst  from  his  shoulders  depended  gracefully 
a very  handsome  jackal  caross.  This  latter,  however,  he  almost 
immediately  exchanged  for  waistcoat  and  jacket. 

Piet  the  Gfriqua,  and  a Beclmana  man,  whom  a trader  (then 
at  the  Lake)  had  kindly  placed  at  my  disposal,  were  my  inter- 
preters. After  the  first  salutations  were  over,  I explained  to 
the  chief  the  motives  of  ipy  visit,  the  friendly  wishes  of  tho 


IMMODERATE  LAUGHTER. 


345 


British  Government  at  the  Cape,  and  so  forth.  He  listened  to 
my  story  with  apparent  attention,  and  in  profound  silence,  eye- 
ing me  the  whole  time  suspiciously.  But  he  asked  no  question, 
nor  did  he  venture  any  remark. 

Having  conveyed  to  him  all  I had  to  say,  I prepared  to  depart. 
Previously,  however,  to  taking  leave,  I requested  him  to  have 
the  goodness  to  give  me  some  information  about  his  country, 
to  which  he  abruptly  replied — 

“ I know  nothing  at  all  !” 

“ Is  there,  then,”  I said,  “ none  of  your  people  who  can 
furnish  me  with  some  account  of  it  ?” 

“No,”  was  his  immediate  answer. 

I was  annoyed,  but  felt  the  necessity  of  concealing  my  vexa- 
tion ; and,  soon  after  rising,  I said  : “ Well,  Lecholetebe,  per- 
haps, when  we  become  better  acquainted,  you  will  be  more 
communicative.  In  the  mean  time,  when  it  suits  you,  come 
over  to  my  encampment  and  have  a chat,  and,  may  be,  you  will 
find  something  there  to  captivate  your  fancy.” 

I had  no  occasion  to  say  this  twice,  as  I too  soon  found  to  my 
cost.  Unlike  our  fat  friend,  king  Nangoro,  who  had  the  courtesy 
to  make  us  wait  about  three  days  before  be  condescended  to  see 
us,  the  Bechuana  chief  could  scarcely  restrain  his  curiosity  for 
as  many  hours. 

When  he  arrived,  I was  busy  preparing  some  skins  of  bird? 
and  snakes,  which  caused  no  small  amount  of  jesting  amongst 
his  followers.  One  fellow,  more  inquisitive  and  impertinent 
than  the  rest,  approached  close  to  me,  and,  seizing  one  of  the 
reptiles  by  the  tail,  held  it  up  before  the  multitude,  which  were 
now  thronging  my  tent  to  inconvenience,  and,  addressing  to  it 
some  unintelligible  words,  the  whole  assembly  burst  out  into  a 
deafening  roar  of  laughter.  Indeed,  the  mirth  became  so  out- 
rageous as  to  throw  the  party  into  convulsions,  many  casting 
themselves  at  full  length  on  the  ground,  with  their  hands 
tightly  clasped  across  their  stomachs  as  if  in  fear  of  bursting, 
whilst  their  greasy  cheeks  became  furrowed  with  tears  trick- 
ling down  in  streams.  Fancy,  reader,  a royal  cortege  pros- 
trated in  the  dust  by  laughter!  Although  this  merriment 
was,  no  doubt,  at  my  expense,  the  sight  more  amused  than 
annoyed  me. 

As  soon  as  the  noise  had  subsided,  I brought  forward  my 
presents  for  the  chief,  consisting  of  beads,  knives,  tobacco, 
snuff,  steel-chains,  rings,  blue  calico,  red  woolen  caps,  and 
trinkets  of  various  kinds.  Without  deigning  even  a look  of 
satisfaction,  Lecholetebe  silently  distributed  the  goods  amongst; 


AN  UN  GRATIFIED  WISH. 


IMG 


the  principal  of  his  men  who  were  grouped  around  him,  reserv- 
ing, apparently,  nothing  to  himself.  This  being  done,  he  locked 
anxiously  round,  from  which  I inferred  that  some  ungratified 
desire  was  still  on  his  heart.  Nor  was  I deceived;  for  all  at 
once  he  inquired  whether  I had  not  brought  him  some  powder 
and  lead,  which  he  might  barter  for  ivory.  I told  him  that  I 
had  some  ; but,  firstly,  it  was  not  more  than  I myself  wanted; 
and,  secondly,  I was  prohibited  by  the  British  Government  at 
the  Cape  from  disposing  of  either  arms  or  ammunition,  and  that 
I could  not  think  of  disobeying  these  orders. 

At  this  declaration  his  countenance  fell,  and  I saw  clearly 
that  he  was  very  much  annoyed.  But  I was  prepared  for  his 
displeasure  ; and,  by  opportunely  placing  in  his  hand  a double- 
barreled  pistol,  which  I had  previously  been  informed  he  covet- 
ed excessively,  and  which  I begged  him  to  accept  as  a me- 
mento of  my  visit,  his  visage  soon  beamed  with  delight  and 
satisfaction,  and  we  became  excellent  friends. 

When  Europeans  first  visited  the  Lake,  they  were,  I am 
told,  liberally  entertained  by  Lecholetbbe;  but,  whatever  civil- 
ity  he  might  have  shown  to  strangers  in  former  times,  much 
cannot  be  said  in  favor  of  his  hospitality  at  the  present  day. 
During  my  whole  stay  at  the  Lake,  I never  received  from  him  I 
so  much  as  a handful  of  corn,  or  a cup  of  milk.  On  the  con- 
trary, he,  whilst  we  ourselves  were  almost  starving,  was  in  the  j| 
habit  of  begging  food  daily  from  me. 

If  anything  takes  his  fancy— no  matter  what — it  may  be  1 
the  shirt  you  wear — he  has  no  scruple  in  asking  you  for  it  at  ; 
once.  Upon  your  refusal,  he  will,  perhaps,  leave  you  for  a 
time,  but  is  sure  to  return  and  renew  his  request  with  the  t 
greatest  pertinacity,  never  ceasing  his  solicitations  till,  by  his 
vexatious  importunity,  he  has  succeeded  in  getting  the  object 
jf  his  desire — a line  of  policy,  the  success  of  which  he  seems 
fully  to  understand. 

The  arrival  of  several  wagons  at  the  Lake,  at  the  same  time, 
puts  him  in  the  highest  glee.  On  these  occasions,  he  never  fails  |J 
to  make  his  rounds,  craving  bread  from  one,  sugar  from  another  jj 
coffee  from  a third,  meat  from  a fourth,  and  so  on. 

The  traders,  however,  know  how  to  take  advantage  of  this 
weakness  in  his  character,  and  often  make  him  pay  dearly  for 
such  articles  as  may  captivate  his  fancy  ; for  instance,  I have 
known  a man  to  get  a good-sized  bull-elephant  tusk  for  three 
common  copper  drinking-cups  l1 


When  the  Lake  was  first  discovered,  a man  told  me  that  he  obtained,  in 


lUTHOR  DESIROUS  OF  VISITING  LIB^B^.  347 

r 

Lecholetebe  possesses  great  power  over  his  people,  when  he 
chooses  to  exercise  it  ; but  I am  inclined  to  think  their  sub- 
jection is  attributable  more  to  superstition,  and  the  force  of 
custom,  than  to  any  real  regard  for  his  person.  Generally 
speaking,  he  is  not  of  a cruel  disposition.  But  that  he  holds 
human  life  in  very  light  estimation,  the  following  incident, 
which  came  under  my  own  immediate  notice,  serves  to  show: 

Having  lately  bought  some  horses,  two  bushmen  were  order- 
ed to  take  charge  of  them  ; but,  unfortunately,  by  their  neg- 
lect, one  of  the  animals  fell  into  a quagmire,  and  was  suffo- 
cated. Being  afraid  to  tell  the  truth,  they  reported  to  the 
chief  that  the  horse  had  died  from  the  effects  of  the  bite  of  a 
snake.  On  hearing  this,  Lecholetebe  questioned  the  men  as  to 
the  part  of  the  body  wounded  by  the  reptile,  and  being  told 
that  it  was  in  the  head,  he  ordered  the  man  to  lead  him  to  the 
place,  that  he  might  see  for  himself.  On  arriving  at  the  spot, 
he  at  once  saw  how  the  case  stood,  and  told  the  bushmen  that 
the  animal  had  not  died  from  the  bite  of  a snake,  but  was  evi- 
dently choked  in  the  mud,  to  which  they  confessed,  as  there 
was  no  longer  any  chance  of  concealing  the  truth.  Without 
further  question  or  remark,  the  chief  ordered  the  halter  of  the 
dead  horse  to  be  loosened,  and  the  hands  and  feet,  of  the  bush- 
men  to  be  secured  with  it.  This  being  done,  they  were  thrown 
into  the  mud,  alongside  the  dead  quadruped,  where,  of  course 
they  soon  miserably  perished,  Lecholetebe  coolly  exclaiming 
“ There,  now  mind  the  horse  !” 

Another  instance  of  the  little  value  he  sets  on  human  (rather 
bushman ) life,  I have  upon  good  authority.  Abushman  lad,  who 
had  long  been  successfully  engaged  in  sheep-stealing,  was  at 
length  detected,  and,  as  a punishment  for  his  crimes,  was  tied 
to  a tree,  and  practiced  upon  with  guns  at  the  long  distance  of 
two  hundred  paces. 

The  object  I had  now  chiefly  in  view  was  to  visit  a place 
called  Libebe,  situated  considerably  to  the  north  of  the  Lake, 
not  so  much  to  see  the  country,  as  to  collect  information  in 
regard  to  the  mighty  waters  (part  of  which  are  tributaries  to 
the  Ngami)  lately  brought  to  light  in  that  remote  region ; as 
also  to  ascertain  if  any  water  communication  existed  with  the 
sea.  But  many  difficulties  were  in  the  way.  My  people 
refused  almost  to  a man  to  accompany  me  ; and  as  our  agree- 
ment only  bound  them  as  far  as  the  Ngami,  I could  not  corn- 

exchange  for  a musket,  twelve  hundred  pounds  of  ivory,  worth,  at  the  least,. 
£240  sterling  1 


u4ci  LECHOLftT^Bfi  CONSENTS. 

pel  them  to  go  on.  The  parts  that  I should  have  to  pass 
through  are  infected  with  fevers  fatal  to  human  life  ; and  then, 
again,  the  tsetse  fly  abounds,  which,  from  the  ravages  it 
causes  amongst  cattle,  renders  traveling  by  land  almost  impos- 
sible. 

The  only  way  left  was  to  penetrate  northwards  by  water,  T 
practicable;  but  here  again  I found  serious  impediments.  I 
had  no  boat  of  my  own,  and  Lecholetebe  (like  all  native  chiefs) 
was  known  to  be  particularly  hostile  to  any  attempt  to  pass 
beyond  his  territory.  Not  the  most  alluring  promises  of  presents 
and  rewards  had  yet  succeeded  in  inducing  him  to  assist  any  one 
in  this  matter.  Consequently,  I could  not  expect  that  he 
would  treat  me  differently,  the  rather  as  I was  really  not  in  a 
position  to  offer  him  a bribe  of  any  value.  It  being  a darling 
scheme  of  mine,  however,  to  penetrate  to  Libebe,  I was  deter 
mined  on  carrying  it  out  if  possible. 

Accordingly,  I seized  the  first  favorable  opportunity  of  broach- 
ing the  subject  to  the  chief,  and  requested  he  would  furnish  me 
with  men  and  canoes.  To  my  great  astonishment,  but  no  less 
delight,  and  without  the  slightest  objection,  he  agreed  to  my 
proposal.  As,  however,  I could  not  flatter  myself  that  I had 
procured  a more  favorable  impression  than  any  other  traveler,  I 
suspected  deceit  of  some  kind;  and  the  sequel  proved  I was  not 
mistaken  in  my  conjecture. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

TEE  NGAMI WHEN  DISCOVERED ITS  VARIOUS  NAMES —ITS  SIZE  AND 

FORM GREAT  CHANGES  IN  ITS  WATERS SINGULAR  PHENOMENON THE 

TEOGE  RIVER THE  ZOUGA  RIVER THE  MUKURU  MUKOVANJA  RIVER 

AMIMALS BIRDS CROCODILES SERPENTS FISH. 

At  an  early  period  of  the  present  century  rumors  had  reached 
Europeans  of'  a vast  lake  in  the  interior  of  South  Africa  ; but  for 
a very  long  time  its  existence  continued  to  be  involved  in  mys- 
tery, and  travelers  and  hunters  were  u n avail inglv  expending 
their  resources  and  energies  to  solve  the  grand  problem. 

The  cause  of  all  these  failures  was  chiefly  to  be  found  in  the 
desert  and  inhospitable  regions  which  lie  between  the  explorers 
and  the  supposed  lake,  commonly  known  as  the  Kalahari  desert. 
Towards  the  close  of  1S49,  however,  and  when  the  hope  of  our 
being  able  to  overcome  this  apparently  insurmountable  barrier 
was  almost  extinguished,  the  great  object  was  accomplished  by 
the  persevering  exertions  of  Messrs.  Oswell,  Livingstone,  and 
Murray,  and  the  existence  was  made  known  of  a fine  fresh-water 
lake  in  the  centre  of  South  Africa. 

This  important  and  highly  interesting  discovery  at  one* 
opened  a new  and  extensive  field  for  the  inquiries  of  the  geo 
grapher  and  the  naturalist,  and  gave  a fresh  impulse  to  the  er, 
terprising  and  speculating  spirit  of  the  colonists  of  Southei  * 
Africa.  The  lake  was  described  as  a magnificent  sheet  of  wate., 
abounding  in  fish  and  hippopotami,  and  the  country  around  as 
well  stocked  with  elephants,  and  other  large  game,  whilst  the 
vegetation  was  said  to  be  on  the  most  luxuriant  scale.  The  dis- 
covery excited  very  considerable  interest. 


VARIOUS  NAMES  OF  THE  LAKE. 


oioQ 

The  lake  goes  with  the*  natives  by  different  names — all  of 
which  are  more  or  less  appropriate — such  as  Inghdbe  (the  giraffe); 
NoJca  ea  BotUtle  (lake  of  the  Botletle);  No/,: a ca  Mokoron  (lake  of 
boats);  and  Ngami,. or  The  Waters.  As  the  last  designation  is 
the  one  by  which  the  lake  is  best  known  to  Europeans,  I will 
retain  it  throughout  the  remainder  of  this  narrative. 

As  before  said,  on  taking  a nearer  survey  of  the  lake,  I expe- 
rienced  some  disappointment  as  to  its  attractions.  It  is,  how- 
ever, indisputably  a fine  sheet  of  water  ; but  in  size  is  somewhat 
overrated,  the  estimation  of  its  length  alone  being  at  one  time 
considered  no  less  than  one  hundred  miles,  and  the  width  about 
fifteen  or  sixteen.  The  misconception  may  thus,  perhaps,  be 
accounted  for.  In  the  first  instance,  no  person,  to  the  best  of 
my  belief,  has  ever  yet  been  quite  round  it;  secondly,  the 
shores — with  the  exception  of  the  south  and  west  side — are  low 
and  sandy,  and  in  hazy  weather  cannot  easily  be  distinguished; 
and,  lastly,  I am  inclined  to  think  that  the  discoverers  mistook 
its  length  for  its  breadth,  for,  according  to  Cooly,  “ The  travel- 
ers beheld  with  delight  the  line  river,  and  the  lake  extending 
out  of  sight  to  the  north  and  west.”  Again,  my  friend  Mr. 
Frederick  Green,  who  visited  the  lake  shortly  after  its  discovery, 
thus  states,  in  his  manuscript  journal,  the  impresssion  he  expe- 
rienced on  first  viewing  it : 

“The  day  after  reaching  the  town  of  Batoani,  we  took  a ride 
to  view  the  lake.  From  the  southern  side,  we  could  trace  the 
opposite  shore  some  ten  or  twelve  miles,  but  beyond  that  dis- 
tance, and  to  the  westward,  we  could  not,  even  with  the  aid  of 
a telescope,  discern  any  sign  of  land — only  a blue  horizon  of 
water.  In  a subsequent  journey,  however,  and  when  traveling 
along  its  southern  shores,  I found  that  the  opposite  strand  could 
always  be  seen.  When  first  viewing  it,  we  were  not,  as  we 
then  thought,  looking  across,  but  lengthwise .” 

The  whole  circumference  is  probably  about  sixty  or  seventy 
geographical  miles;  its  average  breadth  seven  miles,  and  not 
exceeding  nine  at  its  widest  parts.  Its  shape,  moreover,  is  j! 
narrow  in  the  middle,  and  bulging  out  at  the  two  ends  ; and  I may 
add,  that  the  first  reports  received  many  years  ago  from  the  na- 
tives about  the  lake,  and  which  concurred  in  representing  it  of 
the  shape  of  a pair  of  spectacles,  are  correct. 

The  northern  shore  of  Ngami  is  low  and  sandy,  without  a tree 
or  bush,  or  any  other  kind  of  vegetation  within  half-a-mile,  and 
more  commonly  a mile.  Beyond  this  distance  (almost  all  round 
the  lake)  the  country  is  very  thickly  wooded  with  various  sorts 
of  acacia  indigenous  to  Southern  Africa,  the  Damara  “parent 


CHEAT  CHANGES  IN  THE  LAKE. 


051 


tree,”  a few  species  of  wild  fruit  trees,  and  here  and  there  an 
occasional  baobab,  which  raises  its  enormous  head  high  above 
the  highest  giant  of  the  forest.  The  southern  coast  of  the  lake 
is  considerably  elevated,  and  the  water  is  so  closely  fringed  by 
extensive  belts  of  reeds  and  bushes,  that  it  is  only  accessible  in 
a few  places,  or  where  the  native  cattle  have  broken  through 
these  natural  defenses.  The  west  shore  of  the  lake  is  also 
somewhat  raised,  though  the  water  is  very  shallow  ; but  it 
deepens  considerably  cowards  its  eastern  extremity. 

The  Ngami  must  have  undergone  very  considerable  changes 
at  different  periods.  The  natives  have  frequently  pointed  out 
to  me  places,  now  covered  with  vegetation,  where  they  used  to 
spear  the  hippopotamus.  Again,  there  are  unmistakableproofsof 
its  having  been  at  one  time  of  smaller  dimension  than  at  present; 
for  submerged  stumps  of  trees  are  constantly  met  with.  This 
is  not,  I believe,  to  be  attributed  to  the  upheaving,  or  to  the 
sinking  of  the  land,  but  that,  in  all  probability,  the  lake  was 
originally  of  its  present  size,  or  nearly  so,  when  a sudden  and 
unusually  large  flood  poured  into  it  from  the  interior,  which,  on 
account  of  the  flatness  of  the  country,  could  not  be  drained  off 
as  quickly  as  it  flowed  in,  but  caused  the  water  to  rise  above  its 
usual  height,  which,  remaining  in  that  state  some  time,  soon 
destroyed  the  vegetation. 

Before  the  lake  was  known,  and  when  only  rumors  had 
reached  us  of  its  existence,  the  natives  spoke  of  its  waters  as 
retiring  daily  to  “feed.”  But  I am  rather  inclined  to  think 
they  pointed  to  a singular  phenomenon  that  I observed  when 
navigating  its  broad  waters,  which  I then  attributed  to  the 
wind,  though,  on  consideration,  I suspect  it  was  more  likely  to 
have  arisen  from  the  effects  of  the  moon’s  attraction. 

When  navigating  the  lake,  we  were  in  the  habit  of  landing 
every  night  to  bivouac,  always  taking  the  precaution  to  unload 
the  most  important  articles  of  our  baggage.  The  canoes  were 
then  pushed  in  shore  as  far  as  the  shallowness  of  the  water 
would  permit,  and  left  to  themselves,  perhaps,  as  far  as  two 
hundred  yards  from  terra  jirma.  On  remonstrating  with  the 
boatmen  for  not  better  securing  our  little  flotilla,  they  replied 
that  any  further  precautions  were  unnecessary,  inasmuch  as  the 
water  (which  had  already  begun  to  ebb)  would  shortly  recede 
tind  leave  the  canoes  dry  on  the  beach.  I felt  skeptical  ; but, 
nevertheless,  allowed  them  to  have  their  own  way.  In  the 
course  of  the  night  it  fell  calm  (a  fresh  breeze  had  been  blow- 
ing during  the  day),  and  next  morning  we  found  that  what  the 
boatmen  had  predicted  was  fulfilled;  the  canoes  were  as  far 


S52 


THE  T E O G E T HE  ZOUGA. 


from  the  water  as,  on  the  preceding  evening,  they  had  been 
from  the  shore. 

From  the  time  that  the  wind  fell,  the  water  began  slowly  to 
return,  and  about  nine  o’clock  in  the  morning  it  was  at  its  usual 
height,  and  the  canoes  floated  once  more  without  any  effort  on 
our  side. 

The  lake  is  fed  by  the  Teoge  at  its  northwest  extremity.  The 
river  never,  perhaps,  much  exceeds  forty  yards;  but  it  is  deep, 
and,  when  at  its  greatest  height,  contains  a large  volume  ol 
water.  Its  annual  overflow  takes  place  in  June,  July,  and 
August,  and  sometimes  even  later.  The  source  of  the  Teoge  is 
as  yet  unknown,  but  it  is  supposed  to  be  very  distant.  It  may, 
probably,  have  its  rise  on  the  same  high  table-land  as  the 
Quanza,  and  other  streams  of  importance.  The  main  course  of 
the  Teoge  is  N.W.,  but  it  is  so  serpentine  that,  in  thirteen  days, 
when  I ascended  it,  traveling,  on  an  average,  live  miles  per  day, 
and  reckoning  two  and  a quarter  miles  to  the  hour,  I only  made 
about  one  degree  of  latitude  due  north  of  the  lake.  As  far  as  I'J 
proceeded,  however,  it  was  .navigable  with  smaller  craft  ; for 
only  in  three  places  that  I can  remember  did  1 find  less  than 
five  feet  of  water,  and,  generally  speaking,  the  depth  was  con-[ 
siderable.  It  must  be  recollected,  however,  that  it  was  then  at 
its  greatest  height. 

Though  that  portion  of  the  Teoge  ascended  by  me  is  narrow,  I 
.am  told  that,  on  approaching  its  source,  it  widens  considerably! 
(one  of  the  many  curious  points  in  African  geography);  and  the 
country  on  both  sides  is  often  inundated  to  a very  great  extent, 
frequently  having  the  appearance  of  an  endless  lake,  thickly 
overgrown  with  reeds  and  rushes,  and  dotted  with  islets  covered! 
with  beautiful  trees  and  shrubs. 

At  its  eastern  extremity,  the  Ngami  finds  an  outlet  (the  only 
one)  in  the  fine  and  stately  Zouga.  This  river,  near  the  Batoa- 
na-Town,  where  it  escapes  from  the  Lake,  is  about  two  hundred 
yards  wide  ; and,  from  its  gentle  flow,  appears  at  rest,  the  mo- 
tion of  the  stream  being  imperceptible  to  the  eye.  Indeed,  it  is  as- 
serted by  some — and  should  it  be  found  correct,  it  certainly  would 
be  a most  extraordinary  fact — that  the  waters  of  the  Zouga  are. 
at  one  time  of  the  year,  forced  back  into  the  Lake  bv  a branch 
of  the  Teoge,  which  river  thus  not 


From  the  very  imperfect  development  of  the  water-courses  in 
these  parts,  I dp  not  think  this  impossible. 

The  Zouga  continues  to  run  in  an  easterly  direction  from  the 
Lake  for  nearly  a month’s  journey,  or  a distance  of  about  three 


extremity,  as  has  been  already 


THE  ZOUGA. 


3-53 


hundrfel  miles,  taking  all  the  windings  into  account,  when  it  is 
lost  in  an  immense  marsh  or  .sand-flat,1  called,  by  some,  Great 
Reed  Vley.  It  is  a perfect  sea  of  reeds  (with  occasional  open- 
ings), and  affords  a favorite  resort  to  innumerable  herds  of 
bulf  does. 

About  twenty  miles  before  the  Zouga  ceases  to  flow,  it  ex- 
pands into  a lake,  two  to  four  miles  broad,  and  about  twelve  or 
fifteen  in  extent.  During  the  dry  season,  this  river  presents  “a 
series  of  pools  with  dry  spaces  between.” 

The  vegetation  all  along  its  course  is  varied  and  luxuriant,  and 
in  some  places  the  scenery  is  quite  charming  ; the  banks  of  the 
river  being  often,  to  the  very  water’s  edge,  covered  with  majestic 
trees  of  beautiful  and  dense  foliage.  The  baobob  is  particularly 
conspicuous,  attaining,  not  unfrequently,  round  its  stem,  a girth 
of  from  sixty  to  seventy-five  feet.  “The  banks,”  says  Mr. 
Livingstone,  in  a letter  to  a friend,  “are  beautiful  beyond  any  we 
had  ever  seen,  except,  perhaps,  some  parts  of  the  Clyde.  * * 

* * * * The  higher  we  ascended  the  river,  the  broader 

it  became,  until  we  often1  saw  more  than  one  hundred  yards  of 
clear  deep  water  between  the  broad  belt  of  reed  which  grows  in 
the  shallower  parts.  ******  One  remarkable 
feature  in  this  river  is,  its  periodical  rise  and  fall.  It  has  risen 
nearly  three  feet  since  our  arrival  ; and  this  is  the  dry  season. 
That  the  rise  is  not  caused  by  rains,  is  evident,  from  the  water 
being  so  pure.  Its  purity  and  softness  increased  as  we  ascended 
towards  its  junction  with  the  Tamanakle,  from  which,  although 
connected  with  the  lake,  it  derives  its  present  increased  supply. 
The  people  could  give  no  reason  for  the  rise  of  the  water,  fur- 
ther than  that  a chief,  who  lives  in  a part  of  the  country  to  the 
north,  called  Mazzekiva,  kills  a man  annually,  and  throws  his 
body  into  the  stream,  after  which  the  water  begins  to  flow.” 
Before  closing  my  remarks  on  the  rivers  of  the  Lake,  I must 
beg  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  a circumstance,  which 
may  prove  of  the  most  vital  interest  to  the  civilization  and  com- 
merce of  these  regions.  It  is  as  follows: — 

About  two  days  West  of  the  Teoge,  two  rivers  are  reported  to 
exist.  The  one  is  a small  branch  of  the  Teoge,  and  is  supposed, 
after  meandering  through  the  desert  for  a couple  of  days,  to  lose 
itself  in  a marsh.  The  second  (and  to  which  I particularly  de- 

1 Many  are  of  opinion  that  this  river  continues  to  flow  subterraneously,  and  that 
it  ultimately  finds  an  outlet  into  the  sea  on  the  east  coast.  It  is  by  no  means  un- 

I common  in  African  geography — and  we  have  in  England  an  instance  of  it  in  the 
Mole — to  find  a river  suddenly  disappearing,  and  as  unexpectedly  reappearing  st 
some  little  distance. 

23 


354 


THE  MUKURU-MUKOVANJA. 


sire  to  draw  notice)  is  of  larger  dimensions,  though,  near  to  its 
source,  only  periodical.  In  its  course,  however,  it  is  fed  by 
fountains — not  an  uncommon  thing  in  Africa;  and  it  soon  in- 
creases to  a constantly  running  stream.  In  due  time,  it  becomes 
a mighty  river,  flowing  slowly  through  the  country  of  several 
black  nations,  and  ultimately  discharging  itself  into  the  sea. 
This  is  the  statement  of  a party  of  Griquas,  who  traveled  in  this 
direction  in  search  of  elephants.  I should,  perhaps,  have  hesi- 
tated to  give  credit  to  their  account,  had  it  not,  on  more  than 
one  occasion,  been  corroborated.  'Whilst  on  our  visit  to  the 
Ovambo,  we  inquired,  as  mentioned,  if  they  were  not  aware  of 
any  permanently  running  river  in  their  neighborhood,  to  which 
they  immediately  and  unhesitatingly  replied  in  the  affirmative. 
“The  Cunene,”  they  said,  “was  only  four  or  five  days’  foot-jour- 
ney distant  from  them;”  but  added,  “that  it  was  not  to  be 
compared  with  a river  called  Mukuru-Mukovanja,  that  comes  out 
of  Ovatjona-land  (clearly  the  Bechuana  country),  of  which  t.hej 
Cunene  is  only  a branch.”  This  valuable  and  interesting  in-: 
formation  was  confirmed  by  the  Hill-Damn ras. 

Again,  when  Mr.  Galton  and  myself,  distant  only  some  eight 
or  ten  days’ journey  from  the  Lake,  were  obliged  to  retrace  out 
steps,  on  account  of  excessive  drought,  we  were  informed  by  tin 
bushmen  of  the  existence  of  a large  river  to  the  north,  corniu| 
from  Bechuana-land,  and  running  westward.  They  further  add- 
ed, that  another  small  river  comes  from  the  same  direction,  bui 
is  soon  lost  in  the  sand,  or  terminates  in  a marsh.  Now,  except 
ing  that  the  latter  is  a,  branch  of  the  Teoge  (instead  of  having 
its  source  in  the  Lake,  in  common  with  the  large  river,  as  the] 
asserted)  their  account  maybe  said  to  have  been  substantiated 

From  these  statements,  the  existence  of  a river,  in  all  proba 
bility  of  great  magnitude,  and,  perhaps,  navigable  to  its  ’venj 
source,  or  nearly  so,  is  so  far  authenticated  that  I have  had  rn 
hesitation  in  laying  it  down  on  my  map.  Assuming  that  th 
Teoge  and  the  Mukuru-Mukovanja  run  parallel,  though  in  con; 
trary  directions,  at  the  distance  from  each  other  of  two  or  threj 
days’ journey,  as  I was  informed  by  the  Griquas  above  men 
tioned,  there  exists  an  almost  uninterrupted  navigation  ofsevera 
hundred  miles,  affording  a comparatively  easy  transport  to  th 
sba-coast  of  the  produce  of  a rich  and  fertile  interior. 

A great  variety  of  animals  are  found  in  the  Lake  regions,  mor 
especially  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rivers,1  such  as  elephants,  rhi 

; Dr.  Livingstone  informs  us  that,  on  the  first  discovery  of  the  Zotiga,  its  bank 
literally  swarmed  with  wild  animals,  and  that,  in  the  course  of  three  years,  no 


THE  LECH  E T HE  NAKONG. 


357 


noceroses,  buffaloes,  giraffes,  koodoos,  pallahs,  etc.,  as  also  two 
new  species  of  antelopes,  the  nakong  and  the  leche,  both  of 
which  are  well  represented  on  the  accompanying  plate. 

The  leche  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  pallah,  but  is  alto- 
gether a larger  animal.  In  size,  indeed,  it  almost  equals  the 
water-buck  (ciigocerus  ellijKqjrjmnus ) , and  the  horns  are  verv 
similar  to  those  of  the  male  of  that  beast.  The  general  color  of 
the  skin  is  a pale  brown;  chest,  belly,  and  orbits,  white;  and 
front  of  legs  dark  brown.  The  fur  (which,  in  the  young  animal, 
is  long,  soft,  and  often  curly)  of  the  adult  is  short  and  “ adpress- 
ed.”  The  upper  part  of  the  nape  and  withers  are  provided 
with  a small  whorl  of  hair.  The  tip  of  the  tail  (slender  at  the 
base)  is  adorned  with  a tuft  of  black  hair. 

The  leche  is  a species  of  water-buck  ; for,  though  not  actually 
living  in  water,  he  is  never  found  any  distance  from  it.  When 
pursued,  the  leche  unhesitatingly  plunges  into  the  water,  how- 
ever deep.  Great  numbers  are  annually  destroyed  by  the  Baye- 
ye,  who  convert  their  hides  into  a kind  of  rug  for  sleeping  on 
carosses,  and  other  articles  of  wearing  apparel. 

To  the  best  of  my  belief,  the  nakong  has  never  been  described 
by  naturalists  1 Unfortunately,  the  materials  I possessed,  and 
which  would  in  some  degree  have  enabled  me  to  supply  this 
deficiency,  were  left  behind  in  Africa.  Through  the  kindness 
of  Colonel  Steele,  an  opportunity  has  been  afforded  me  of  in- 
specting one  or  two  heads  of  the  nakong,  as  also  a caross 

than*  nine  hundred  elephants  were  killed.  However,  from  the  persecution  to 
whirh  the  game  is  constantly  exposed,  and  the  introduction  of  fire-arms,  the  num- 
ber of  animals  has  rapidly  decreased,  and  what  remain  are  wild  and  wary. 

1 Dr.  Gray,  of  the  British  Museum,  to  whom  I submitted  an  imperfect  skin,  and 
a sketch  of  the  head  of  the  nakong,  is  unable  to  determine  its  exact  nature,  but 
seems  inclined  to  Consider  it  identical  with  the  tragelaphus  ewycerus — the  broad- 
horned antelope — of  which  specimens  of  horns  and  heads  have  been  brought  from 
he  Bight  of  Biafra,  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  In  the  “ Proceedings  cf  the 
Zoological  Society,”  No.  250,  p.  47,  the  following  details  appear  : 

“ Head  pale  brown.  Broad  'band  before  the  eyes,  and  two  large  spots  on  cheeks, 
chin,  and  front  of  upper  lip,  white.  Horns  elougate,  thick,  scarcely  bent  forward 
at  the  tip.  Throat  with  long  black  hairs.” 

Again,  from  a head  in  Mr.  Warwick’s  collection  : 

“ The  horns  are  very  similar  to  those  of  t.  angasii,  but  the  head  is  considerably 
larger,  nearly  as  large  as  that  of  the  koodoo,  ana  the  horns  are  thicker  and  larger  ; 
they  are.twenty-seven  inches  long  in  a straight  line  from  base  to  tip,  and  nine  inches 
in  circumference  at  the  base.  The  hair  of  the  head  is  also  paler  and  more  uni- 
formly colored,  and  with  very  large  white  spots  on  the  cheek,  much  larger  than 
those  of  the  koodoo  or  of  t.  angasii.  The  throat  has  a distinct  maue  of  blackisL 
rigid  hairs.  The  muffle  is  very  like  that  of  l.  angasii,  and  larger  than  that  of 
the  koodoo.  The  skull  is  imperfect ; it  has  no  appearance  of  any  suborbital  pit 
or  slit.” 

■ ■ 


rfIPPOPOTAM  I O T T E R S B I R D b . 


n-58 

(brought  from  the  Lake  Ngami  by  Mr.  Oswell)  made  out  of 
pieces  of  the  skins  of  this  animal.  But  they  are  all  so  imperfect, 
that  to  attempt  anything  like  a scientific  description  would  be 
ineffectual  ; the  more  so,  perhaps,  as  I only  once  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  viewing  a pair  of  nakongs,  and  that  was  at  a distance. 
Suffice  it,  therefore,  to  say  that  the  general  color  of  the  animal 
is  a subdued  brown,  darkest  on  the  back,  and  on  the  front  of 
head  and  legs.  Beneath,  it  is  of  a lighter  hue — almost  ash-col- 
ored. On  each  side  of  the  rump,  as  also  on  the  inside  of  the 
legs,  if  I remember  rightly,  there  is  a whitish  l-ine  or  patch.  The 
hail  of  the  skin,  which  is  much  used  by  the  natives  for  carosses, 
is  long  and  coarse.  The  horns  are  black,  very  like  those  of  the 
koodoo  ; and,  in  the  adult  animal,  would  appear  to  attain  to  an 
equal,  if  not  larger,  size.  Before  they  are  much  developed, 
there  is  scarcely  any  indication  of  spiral  turns,  and  they  are 
then  not  unlike  the  horns  of  goats. 

The  nakong  is  a water-buck.  By  means  of  its  peculiarly 
long  hoofs  (which  are  black),  not  unfrequently  attaining  a length 
of  six  to  seven  inches,  it  is  able  to  traverse  with  facility  the 
reedy  bogs  and  quagmires  with  which  the  Lake  country  abounds  Jj 
— localities  only  tit  for  the  feathery  tribe.  When  at  the  Ngami, 

I offered  very  tempting  rewards  to  the  natives  if  they  would  i 
bring  me  this  animal  either  dead  or  alive ; but  they  protested, 
that  though  they  frequently  kill  the  nakong  by  pit-falls  and 
spears,  it  was  not  then  possible  to  gratify  my  wishes,  as,  at  that 
season,  the  beast  dwelt  almost  entirely  in  muddy  and  watery 
localities,  where  any  attempt  to  follow  it  would  be  certain  de- 
struction to  a man. 

Hippopotami  abound  on  the  northern  side  of  the  Ngami,  and 
more  especially  towards  its  northwest  extremity,  or  to  the 
right  of  where  the  Teoge  river  enters  the  Lake. 

Otters  are  not  uncommon  in  the  rivers  and  the  Lake.  They 
appear  to  be  of  the  same  species  as  with  us,  but  present  great 
variety  of  color.  The  fur  is  good  and  much  sought  after. 

If  the  quadrupeds  of  the  Lake  Fauna  are  numerous  and  va- 
ried, the  aves  class  is  no  less  rich  and  abundant.  In  our  first 
journey  through  Damara-land,  I had  made  such  a complete  col- 
lection of  its  birds  and  insects,  that  I almost  despaired  of  ob- 
taining anything  new  and  interesting;  but  here  I found  at  once 
an  unexplored  and  almost  unlimited  field  for  the  naturalist. 
Unfortunately,  I was  not  in  a state  to  be  able  to  benefit  to  any 
extent,  by  its  abundance  and  variety,  which  I regret  exceed- 
ingly 

The  aquatic  birds  were  particularly  numerous  and  varied.  A 


THE  CROC  O DIE  E S E R P ENTS. 


35  y 


friend,  who  visited  the  Lake,  assured  me  that  here,  and  on  the 
Zouga,  he  had,  at  one  time  and  another,  killed  specimens  of  no 
less  than  nineteen  species  of  ducks  and  geese.  One  of  the  latter 
varieties  is  not  larger  than  a common  teal,  but  clothed  in  the 
most  brilliant  plumage.  The  herons  and  water-hens  vie  with 
the  duck-tribe  in  numbers  and  gaudiness  of  plumage.  During 
a hurried  journey  up  the  Teoge,  I procured,  in  a short  time, 
herons  of  upward  of  ten  distinct  species,  besides  several  differ- 
ent kinds  of  storks,  cranes,  etc. 

The  Lake  and  its  rivers  swarm  with  crocodiles.  During  the 
cold  time  of  the  year,  they  resort  to  deep  water,  where  they  re- 
main in  a state  of  comparative  inactivity  ; but  on  the  approach 
of  the  hot  season  they  again  come  forward,  and  may  be  seen 
lying  in  great  numbers  along  the  banks,  basking  in  the  noonday 
sun,  and  looking  exactly  like  so  many  logs  of  wood.  I have 
often  surprised  them  in  this  position  ; and,  if  not  too  close,  they 
have  invariably  feigned  to  be  asleep.  The  instant,  however, 
that  I have  raised  my  gun,  or  even  merely  pointed  towards 
them,  they  have  plunged  into  the  deep  like  a shot. 

They  are  said  occasionally  to  attain  a gigantic  size;  but  no 
authenticated  instance  has  come  to  my  knowledge  of  any  speci- 
men being  killed  which  measured  above  fifteen  or  sixteen  feet, 
though  I have  heard  it  asserted  that  they  sometimes  reach  double 
that  length. 

The  crocodile  chiefly  lives  on  quadrupeds,  which  he  lies  in 
wait  for,  and  destroys  when  coming  to  drink;  but  he  is  said 
never  to  devour  his  prey  before  the  flesh  has  arrived  at  a state 
of  putrefaction. 

When  in  its  native  element,  the  power  of  this  animal  must  be 
enormous  ; for,  if  the  testimony  of  the  inhabitants  is  to  be  relied 
on,  he  not  unfrequently  succeeds  in  destroying  the  buffaloe. 
which  they  say  he  accomplishes  by  seizing  the  beast  by  the 
muzzle  and  dragging  him  into  deep  water,  where  he  suffocates 
him.  This  being  done,  he  hauls  his  victim  back  to  the  shore 
and,  pushing  the  carcass  above  water-mark,  watches  over  it  un 
til  it  lias  become  nicety  tainted,  when  he  commences  his  feast. 

From  the  moist  and  swampy  nature  of  the  ground  about  the 
Lake  and  the  rivers,  snakes,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  are  nu- 
merous ; but  though  they  at  times  attain  a gigantic  size,  they 
appear  very  harmless,  being  often  destroyed  by  the  natives, 
who  devour  them  with  great  relish.  I never  myself  saw  a speci- 
men exceeding  seven  or  eight  feet  in  length,  but  procured  skins 
measuring  fully  three  times  that  size.  The  bush  men  fissured 
me  that  they  not  unfrequently  surprise  these  monsters  when. 


n 


360 


FISH. 


asleep  and  gorged,  and  that  on  such  occasions  it  was  not 
unusual  to  dispatch  them  with  a blow  on  the  head  from  the 
knob-kierie.  These  snakes  feed  chiefly  on  birds  and  smaller 
quadrupeds. 

The  finny  tribe  was  also  pretty  numerous ; but  my  stay  at 
the  Lake  was  of  too  short  a duration  to  collect  much  information 
on  this  head.  I saw  and  tasted  many  different  kinds,  some  of 
which  were  most  excellent  eating,  and  had  a rich  and  agreeable 
flavor.  The  only  ones,  however,  which  I remember  had  any 
likeness  to  northern  fishes  were  a sort  of  perch,  and  one  or  two 
barbel  kinds. 


CHAPTER 


XXXV. 


YHE  I '.TO  AN  A GOVERNMENT ELOQUENCE LANGUAGE MYTHOLOGY RE 

LEVON SUPERSTITION THE  RAIN-MAKER POLYGAMY CIRCUMCISION 

BURIAL DISPOSITION  OF  THE  BECHUANAS THIEVISH  PROPENSITIES 

PRESS GREAT  SNUFF-TAKERS SMOKING OCCUPATIONS AGRICULTURE 

COMMERCE HUNTING  AND  FISHING. 

The  people  who  dwell  on  the  shores  of  the  Lake  are,  as  be- 
fore said,  called  Batoana,1  under  the  rule  of  Lecholetebe.  They 
are  a small  tribe  of  that  large  family  of  11  Blacks”  known  as 
Bechuanas,  who,  as  a whole,  are  probably  the  most  widely  dis- 
tributed and  the  most  powerful  of  all  the  dark-colored  nations  in 
Southern  Africa.  The  Batoana  have  not  been  long  dwellers  in 
the  Lake  regions ; they  came  as  conquerors  under  Lecholetebe’s 
father.  Having  dispossessed  the  aborigines,  they  reduced  them 
to  a state  of  slavery,  giving  them  a name  corresponding  to  their 
condition,  viz.,  Bakoba  or  Makoba , that  is  “ serfs.”  These  people, 
however,  style  themselves  Bayeye,  or  “men  ;”  and,  by  that  ap- 
pellation, I shall  hereafter  call  them. 

In  giving  a general  description  of  the  manners  and  customs, 
religious  rites,  superstitions,  etc.,  of  the  Bechuanas — the  parent 
stock  as  shown  of  the  Batoanas — I shall  also  have  described 

1 Some  of  the  notions  entertained  of  these  people,  before  the  existence  of  the 

Ngami  was  known  to  Europeans,  are  carious  and  amusing.  Captain  Messum,  in 
an  article  in  the  Nautical  Magazine  on  “ the  exploration  of  Western  Africa,”  says 
that  he  had  heard  the  inhabitants  of  the  Lake  regions  represented  as  monsters  with 
only  one  eye  in  the  centre  of  the  forehead,  and  feeding  on  human  flesh,  as  the  giants 
of  old  used  to  take  their  breakfasts.  “ A baby  was  nothing  ; they  swallowed  it 
whole.” 


362 


those  of  fhe  latter  tribe;  for  though  they  may  differ  in  some 
respects,  they  agree  in  the  main. 


“ The  government  of  the  people  is  at  once  both  monarchical  and 
patriarchal,  and  comparatively  mild  in  its  character.  Each  tribe 
has  its  chief  or  king,  who  commonly  resides  in  the  largest  town, 
and  is  held  sacred  from  his  hereditary  right  to  that  office.  A 
tribe  generally  includes  a number  of  towns  or  villages,  each  ! 
having  its  distinct  head,  under  whom  there  are  a number  of  sub- 
ordinate chiefs.  These  constitute  the  aristocracy  of  the  nation, 
and  all  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  principal  one.  His 
power,  though  very  great,  and  in  some  instances  despotic,  is,  j: 
nevertheless,  controlled  by  the  senior  chiefs,  who,  in  their 
or  pit, shos  (their  parliament,  or  public  meetings),  use  the  greatest 
plainness  of  speech  in  exposing  what  they  consider  culpable  or 
lax  in  his  government.  An  able  speaker  will  sometimes  turn 
the  scale  even  against  .the  king.  *###***  These 
assemblies  keep  up  a tolerable  equilibrium  of  power  between 
the  chiefs  and  their  king  ; but  they  are  only  convened  when  it  is 
necessary  to  adjust  differences  between  tribes— when  a predatory 
expedition  is  to  be  undertaken — or  when  the  removal  of  a tribe  | 
is  contemplated  ; though  occasionally  matters  of  less  moment  , 
are  introduced.”1 

T1  ie  language  used  by  the  natives  on  public  occasions,  and 


1 Moffat. 


EL0QUENC  E L A N G U A G E M YTHOLOGY.  303 

more  especially  by  the  chiefs,  is  often  powerful,  eloquent, 
shrewd,  and  fluent,  and  would  do  honor  to  the  best  educated 
European.  Take  the  following  speech  as  an  example,  which 
contains  the  address  of  the  famos  Basuto  king,  Mosheshe,  to  his 
people,  when  congratulating  them  on  the  happy  event  of  having 
received  three  worthy  missionaries  amongst  them  : — 

“ Rejoice,  you  Makare  and  Mokatchani ! — you  rulers  of  cities, 
rejoice  ! We  have  all  reason  to  rejoice  on  account  of  the  news 
we  have  heard.  There  are  a great  many  sayings  among  men. 
Among  them  some  are  true,  and  some  are  false  ; but  the  false 
have  remained  with  us,  and  multiplied — therefore,  we  ought  to 
pick  up  carefully  the  truths  we  hear,  lest  they  should  be  kst  in 
the  rubbish  of  lies.  We  are  told  that  we  have  all  been  created 
by  one  Being,  and  that  we  all  spring  from  one  man.  Sin  enter- 
ed man’s  heart  when  he  ate  the  forbidden  fruit,  and  we  have  got 
sin  from  him.  These  men  say  that  they  have  sinned  ; and  wliar 
is  sin  in  them  is  sin  in  us,  because  we  come  from  one  stock,  and 
their  hearts  and  ours  are  one  thing.  Ye  Makare  have  heard 
these  words,  and  you  say  they  are  lies.  If  these  words  do  not 
conquer,  the  fault  will  lie  with  you.  You  say  you  will  not  believe 
what  you  do  not  understand.  Look  at  an  egg!  If  a man  break 
it,  there  comes  only  a watery  and  yellow  substance  out  of  it ; 
but  if  it  be  placed  under  the  wing  of  a fowl,  a living  thing  comes 
from  it.  Who  can  understand  this?  Who  ever  knew  how  the 
heat  of  the  hen  produced  the  chicken  in  the  egg?  This  is  in- 
comprehensible to  us,  yet  we  do  not  deny  the  fact.  Let  us 
do  like  the  hen.  Let  us  place  these  truths  in  our  hearts, 
as  the  hen  does  the  eggs  under  her  wings,  let  us  sit  upon 
them,  and  take  the  same  pains,  and  something  new  will  come  of 
them.” 

The  language  of  the  Bechuanas  (the  plural  of  Mochuana,  a 
single  individual)  is  called  Sichuaria — an  adjective  implying  any- 
thing belonging  to  the  nation.  It  is  exceedingly  soft  and  melli- 
fluous, owing  to  there  being  few  syllables  that  end  with  a 
consonant.  The  only  exceptions  are  “nouns  in  the  ablative 
case,  plural  verbs,  verbs  definite,  and  the  interrogatives  why,  how , 
and  what,  all  of  which  end  with  the  ringing  n.” 

The  first  acquaintance  of  Europeans  with  the  Bechuanas, 
dates  from  an  early  period  of  the  history  of  the  Cape  Colony. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that-  this  nation  once  extended  as  far 
as  the  Orange  River ; but  at  the  present  day,  none  of  the  tribes 
are  found  beyond  the  28th  parallel  of  south  latitude. 

The  Bechuanas  (as  already  mentioned  in  the  history  of  the 
Damarus)  believe  that  they  originally  sprang  from  a cave,  said  to 


364 


RELIGION. 


exist  in  the  Bakone  country,  where  the  footmarks  of  the  fiist 
man  may  still  be  seen  in  the  rock. 

If  we  are  to  credit  the  testimony  of  some  missionaries,  the 
Bechuanas  have  no  notion  of  a Superior  Being,  it  is  a strong 
argument  in  favor  of  this  hypothesis,  that  no  word  in  their  lan- 
guage properly  denotes  God.  Speaking  of  these  people,  Mr. 
Moffat  says  : — “I  have  often  wished  to  find  something  by  which 
I could  lay  hold  on  the  minds  of  the  natives  ; an  ‘altar  to  the  un- 
known God  the  faith  of  their  ancestors,  the  immortality  of 
the  soul,  or  any  religious  association.  But  nothing  of  this  kind 
ever  floated  in  their  minds.  ‘They  looked  on  the  sun  with  the 
eyes’ of  an  ox.’  To  tell  the  greatest  of  them  that  there  was  a 
Creator,  the  Governor  of  the  heavens  and  earth — of  the  fall  of 
man,  or  the  redemption  of  the  world — the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  and  immortality  beyond  the  grave,  was  to  tell  them  what 
appeared  to  be  more  fabulous,  extravagant,  and  ludicrous,  than 
their  own  vain  stories  about  lions,  hyaenas,  and  jackals.  To  tell 
them  that  these  (referring,  of  course,  to  the  different  elements  of 
our  creed)  were  articles  of  our  faith,  would  extort  an  interjection 
of  superlative  surprise,  as  if  they  were  too  preposterous  for  the 
most  foolish  to  believe.” 

“‘What  is  the  difference?’  said  a native  one  day  to  the 
writer  just  quoted,  pointing  to  his  dog,  ‘ between  me  and  that 
animal  ? You  say  I am  immortal,  and  why  not  my  dog  or  my 
ox?  They  die;  and  do  you  see  their  souls?  What  is  the  dif- 
ference between  man  and  beast?  None,  except  that  man  is  the 
greater  rogue  of  the  two  ?’ 

“They  could  not  see  that  there  was  anything  in  our  customs 
more  agreeable  to  flesh  and  blood  than  in  their  own  ; but  would, 
at  the  same  time,  admit  that  we  were  a wiser  and  a superior 
race  of  beings  to  themselves.  For  this  superiority,  some  of 
their  wise  heads  would  try  to  account ; but  this  they  could  only 
do  on  the  ground  of  our  own  statement,  that  God  made  man. 

“A  wily  fellow,  who  was  the  oracle  of  the  village  in  which 
he  dwelt,  once  remarked,  after  hearing  me  enlarge  on  the  sub- 
ject of  creation,  if  you  verily  believe  that  one  being  created  all 
men,  then,  according  to  reason,  you  must  also  believe  that,  in 
making  white  people,  he  had  improved  on  his  work.  He  tried 
his  hand  on  bushmen  first,  and  lie  did  not  like  them,  because 
they  were  so  ugly;  and  their  language  like  that  ol  frogs.  He 
then  tried  his  hand  on  the  Hottentots  ; but  these  did  not  please 
him  either.  He  then  exercised  his  power  and  skill,  and  made 
the  Bechuanas,  which  was  a great  improvement;  and  at  last  he 
made  the  white  people.  Therefore,’  exulting^ith  an  air  of 


SUPERSTITIO  N T HE  RAIN - MAKER. 


36t> 


triuir.ph  at  the  discovery,  ‘ the  white  people  are  so  much  wiser 
than  we  are  in  making  walking-houses  (wagons),  teaching  the 
oxen  to  draw  them  over  hill  and  dale,  and  instructing  them  also 
to  plough  the  gardens,  instead  of  making  their  wives  do  it,  like 
the  Bechuanas.’  ” 

Dealers  in  the  black  art  are  numerous  amongst  the  Be- 
chuanas,  who  place  the  most  implicit  confidence  in  the  sayings 
and  prescriptions  of  the  wizards.  This  applies  more  especially 
to  those  persons  who  devote  themselves  to  the  study  of  “ rain- 
making.” 

The  rain-maker  possesses  an  influence  over  the  minds  of  the 
people  superior  even  to  that  of  their  king,  who  is  likewise 
compelled  to  yield  to  the  dictates  of  these  “ arch-officials.” 
They  are,  in  general,  men  of  natural  talent  and  ingenuity.  In- 
deed, it  is  probable  that,  in  the  full  consciousness  of  their  supe- 
riority, they  are  emboldened  to  lay  the  public  mind  prostrate 
before  their  mysteries.  Being,  moreover,  usually  foreigners, 
they  take  good  care  to  magnify  prodigiously  their  feats  abroad. 
Each  tribe  has  one  rain-maker,  and  sometimes  more.  The  wizards 
are  also  doctors  ; and,  at  times,  they  assume  the  office  of  sextons 
by  superintending  the  disposal  of  the  dead,  it  being  generally 
believed  that  the  ceremonies  practiced  by  these  impostors  have 
some  influence  over  the  watery  treasures  floating  in  the  skies. 
It  not  unfrequently  happens  that  the  rain-maker  prohibits 
the  usual  form  of  interment,  and,  perhaps,  orders  the  dead 
to  be  dragged  to  a distance  to  be  devoured  by  beasts  of 
prey. 

Mr.  Moffat,  in  his  “Missionary  Labors  and  Scenes  in  South- 
ern Africa,”  has  given,  at  some  length,  a very  striking  account 
of  one  of  these  rain-makers,  which  amply  illustrates  the  im- 
mense influence  exercised  by  men  over  the  ignorant  and  Super- 
stitious mind,  as  also  the  craft  and  ingenuity  of  the  men 
themselves,  in  order  to  effect  their  purpose.  It  is  in  substance 
as  follows  : — 

Having  for  a number  of  years  experienced  severe  droughts, 
the  Bechuanas  at  Kuruman  held  a council  as  to  the  best  meas- 
ures for  removing  the  evil.  After  some  debate,  a resolution 
was  passed  to  send  for  a rain-maker,  of  great  renown,  then  stay- 
ing among  the  Bahurutsi,  two  hundred  miles  N.  E.  of  the  sta- 
tion. Accordingly,  commissioners  were  dispatched,  with  strict 
injunctions  not  to  return  without  the  man  ; but  it  was  with 
some  misgivings  as  to  the  success  of  their  mission  that  the  man 
started.  However,  by  large  promises,  they  succeeded  beyond 
their  most  sanguine  expectations. 


360 


THE  RAIN-MAKER. 


During  the  absence  of  the  ambassadors,  the 'heavens  had  ] 
been  as  brass,  and  scarcely  a passing  cloud  obscured  the  sky, 
which  blazed  with  the  dazzling  rays  of  a vertical  sun.  But, 
strange  to  relate,  the  very  day  that  the  approach  of  the  rain- 
maker was  announced,  the  clouds  began  to  gather  thickly,  the  ,j 
lightning  darted,  and  the  thunder  rolled  in  awful  grandeur.  * 
accompanied  by  a few  drops  of  rain.  The  deluded  multitude 
were  wild  with  delight;  they  rent  the  sky  with  their  acclama-  S 
mations  of  joy;  and  the  earth  rang  with  their  exulting  and  mad- 
dening shouts.  Previously  to  entering  the  town,  the  rain-maker  jj 
sent  a peremptory  order  to  all  the  inhabitants  to  wash  their  j 
feet.  Scarcely  was  the  message  delivered,  before  every  soul,  jj 
young  and  old,  noble  and  ignoble,  flew  to  the  adjoining  river  to 
obey  the  command  of  the  man  whom  they  imagined  was  now 
collecting,  in  the  heavens,  all  his  stores  of  rain. 

The  impostor  proclaimed  aloud  that  this  year  the  women 
must  cultivate  gardens  on  the  hills,  and  not  in  the  valleys,  for 
the  latter  would  be  deluged.  The  natives,  in  their  enthusiasm, 
saw  already  their  corn-fields  floating  in  the  breeze,  and  their 
flocks  and  herds  return  lowing  homewards  by  noonday  from  the  jj 
abundance  of  pasture.  He  told  them  how,  in  his  wrath,  he  had 
desolated  the  cities  of  the' enemies  of  his  people,  by  stretching 
forth  his  hand  and  commanding  the  clouds  to  burst  upon  them;  jj 
how  he  had  arrested  the  progress  of  a powerful  army,  by  caus- 
ing a flood  to  descend,  which  formed,  a mighty  river  and  stayed 
their  course.  These,  and  many  other  pretended  displays  of  his 
power,  were  received  as  sober  truths,  and  the  chief  and  the 
nobles  gazed  on  him  with  silent  amazement.  The  report  ol  his 
fame  spread  like  wild-fire,  and  the  rulers  of  the  neighboring 
tribes  came  to  pay  him  homage 

In  order  to  carry  on  the  fraud,  he  would,  when  clouds  appeared, 
command  the  women  neither  to  plant  nor  sow,  lest  the  seed 
should  be  washed  away.  He  would  also  require  them  to  go 
to  the  fields,  and  gather  certain  roots  and  herbs,  with  which  he 
might  light,  what  appeared  to  the  natives,  mysterious  fires. 
Elate  with  hope,  they  would  go  in  crowds  to  the  hills  and  val- 
leys, collect  herbs,  return  to  the  town  with  songs,  and  lay 
their  gatherings  at  the  magician’s  feet.  With  these  he  would 
sometimes  proceed  to  certain  hills,  and  raise  smoke  , gladly 
would  he  have  called  up  the  wind  also,  if  he  could  have  dore 
so,  well-knowing  that  the  latter  is  frequently  the  precursor  ol 
rain.  lie  would  select  the  time  of  new7  and  full  moon  for  his 
purpose,  aware  that  at  those  seasons  there  wras  frequently  a 
•change  in  the  atmosphere.  But  the  rain-maker  found  the 


. 


THE  RAIN- M AKER. 


367 


clouds  in  these  parts  rather  harder  to  manage  than  those  of  the 
Bahurutsi  country,  whence  he  came. 

One  day  as  he  was  sound  asleep,  a shower  fell,  on  which  one 
of  the  principal  men  entered  his  house  to  congratulate  him  on 
the  happy  event ; but,  to  his  utter  amazement,  he  found  the 
magician  totally  insensible  to  what  was  transpiring.  “ Hela  ka 
rare  ! (halloo,  by  my  father  !)  I thought  you  were  making  rain,’ 
said  the  intruder.  Arising  from  his  slumber,  and  seeing  his 
wife  sitting  on  the  floor,  shaking  a milk-sack,  in  order  to  obtain 
a little  butter  to  anoint  her  hair,  the  wily  rain-maker  adroitly 
replied,  “ Do  you  not  see  my  wife  churning  rain  as  fast  as  she 
can?”  This  ready  answer  gave  entire  satisfaction  ; and  it  pre- 
sently spread  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  town,  that 
the  rain-maker  had  churned  the  shower  out  of  a milk-sack. 

The  moisture,  however,  caused  by  this  shower,  soon  dried 
up ; and,  for  many  a long  week  afterwards,  not  a cloud  ap- 
peared. The  women  had  cultivated  extensive  fields  ; but  the 
seed  was  lying  in  the  soil  as  it  had  been  thrown  from  the  hand-; 
the  cattle  were  dying  from  want  of  pasture  ; and  hundreds  of 
emaciated  men  wei’e  seen  going  to  the  fields  in  quest  of  un- 
wholesome roots  and  reptiles,  while  others  were  perishing  with 
hunger. 

All  these  circumstances  irritated  the  rain-maker  very  much, 
and  he  complained  that  secret  rogues  were  disobeying  his  pro- 
clamations. When  urged  to  make  repeated  trials,  he  would 
reply — “ You  only  give  me  sheep  and  goats  to  kill  ; therefore, 
I can  only  make  goat-rain;  give  me  fat  slaughter  oxen,  and  I 
shall  let  you  see  ox-rain.” 

One  night,  a small  cloud  passed  over,  and  a single  flash  of 
lightning,  from  which  a heavy  peal  of  thunder  burst,  struck  a 
tree  in  the  town.  Next  day,  the  rain-maker  and  a number  of 
people  assembled  to  perform  the  usual  ceremony  on  such  an 
event.  The  stricken  tree  was  ascended,  and  roots  and  ropes  of 
grass  were  bound  round  different  parts  of  the  trunk.  When 
these  bandages  were  made,  the  conjuror  deposited  some  of  his 
nostrums,  and  got  quantities  of  water  handed  up. which  he  poured 
with  great  solemnity  on  the  wounded  tree,  while  the  assembled 
multitudeshouted  “Pula!  pula!”  The  tree  was  now  hewn  down, 
dragged  out  of  the  town,  and  burned  to  ashes.  Soon  after,  the 
rain-maker  got  large  bowls  of  water,  with  which  was  mingled 
an  infusion  of  bulbs.  All  the  men  of  the  town  were  then  made 
to  pass  before  him,  when  he  sprinkled  each  person  with  a 
zebra’s  tail  dipped  in  water. 

Finding  that  this  did  not  produce  the  desired  effect  the  impcs- 


THE  RAIN  - MAKER. 


iitob 

tor  had  recourse  to  another  stratagem.  He  well  knew  that  baboons  j 
were  not  very  easily  caught  amongst  rocky  glens  and  shelving 
precipices,  and,  therefore,  in  order  to  gain  time,  he  informed  the  j1 
men  that,  to  make  rain,  he  must  have  a baboon.  Moreover,  Jj 
that  not  a hair  on  its  body  was  to  be  wanting;  in  short,  the  j| 
animal  should  be  free  from  blemish.  After  a long  and  severe 
pursuit,  and  with  bodies  much  lacerated,  a band  of  chosen  j! 
runners  succeeded  in  capturing  a young  baboon,  which  they  Jj 
brought  back  triumphantly  and  exultingly.  On  seeing  the 
animal,  the  rogue  put  on  a countenance  exhibiting  the  most  in- 
tense sorrow,  exclaiming,  “My  heart  is  rent  in  pieces! — I am 
dumb  with  grief!”  Pointing,  at  the  same  time,  to  the  ear  of  j 
the  baboon  that  was  slightly  scratched,  and  the  tail  which  had 
lost  some  hair,  he  added,  “ Did  I not  tell  you  I could  not  bring 
rain  if  there  was  one  hair  wanting?” 

He  had  often  said,  that,  if  they  could  procure  him  the  heart 
of  a lion,  he  would  show  them  he  could  make  rain  so  abundant  Jj 
that  a man  might  think  himself  well  off  to  be  under  shelter,  as 
when  it  fell  it  might  sweep  whole  towns  away.  He  had  dis-  j 
covered  that  the  clouds  required  strong  medicines,  and  that  a 
lion’s  heart  would  do  the  business.  To  obtain  this,  the  rain- 
maker well  knew  was  no  joke.  One  day  it  was  announced  that  J: 
a lion  had  attacked  one  of  the  cattle  outposts,  not  far  from  the  J 
town,  and  a party  set  off  for  the  twofold  purpose  of  getting  a 
key  to  the  clouds  and  disposing  of  a dangerous  enemy.  The  Ji 
orders  were  imperative,  whatever  the  consequences  might  be.  J| 
Fortunately,  the  lion  was  shot  dead  by  a man  armed  with  a guu. 
Greatly  elated  by  their  success,  they  forthwith  returned  with  j 
their  prize,  singing  the  conqueror’^  song  in  full  chords.  The' 
rain-maker  at  once  set  about  preparing  his  medicines,  kindled 
his  fires,  and  standing  on  the  top  of  a hill,  he  stretched  forth  his  Jj 
hands  beckoning  to  the  clouds  to  draw  near,  occasionally  shaking  Ji 
his  spear,  and  threatening  them  with  his  ire  should  they  disobey 
his  commands.  The  populace  believed  all  this,  and  wondered 
the  rain  would  not  fall. 

Having  discovered  that  a corpse,  which  had  been  put  into  the 
ground  some  weeks  before,  had  not  received  enough  water  at.( 
its  burial,  and  knowing  the  aversion  of  the  Bechuanas  to  a dead  Ji 
body,  he  ordered  the  corse  to  be  taken  up,  washed,  and  re-  j 
interred.  Contrary  to  his  expectation,  and  horrible  as  the  cere-  j 
mony  must  have  been,  it  was  performed.  Still  the  heavens  ; 
remained  inexorable. 

Having  exhausted  his  skill  and  ingenuity,  the  impostor  began 
to  be  sorely  puzzled  to  tind  something  on  which  to  lay  the 


ia 


THE  RAIN- M A K E R . 


3Gy 

blame.  Like  all  of  Ms  profession,  he  was  a subtle  fellow,  in  the 
habit  of  studying  human  nature,  affable,  acute,  and  exhibiting 
a dignity  of  mien,  with  an  ample  share  of  self-complacency, 
which  he  could  not  hide.  Hitherto,  he  had  studiously  avoided 
giving  the  least  offense  to  the  missionaiies,  whom  he  found  were 
men  of  peace,  who  would  not  quarrel.  He  frequently  con- 
descended to  visit  them,  and,  in  the  course  of  conversation, 
would  often  give  a feeble  assent  to  their  opinions  as  to  thesources 
of  that  element  over  which  he  pretended  to  have  sovereign  con- 
trol. However,  finding  all  his  wiles  unavailing  to  produce  the 
desired  result,  and,  notwithstanding  the  many  proofs  of  kindness 
lie  had  received  from  the  missionaries,  he  began  to  hint  that 
! the  reverend  gentlemen  were  the  cause  of  the?  obstinacy  of  the 
clouds  ! One  day  it  was  discovered  that  the  rain  had  been  pre- 
vented by  Mr.  Moffat  bringing  a bag  of  salt  with  him  from  a 
journey  that  he  had  undertaken  to  Griqua-town.  But,  finding  on 
examination  that  the  reported  salt  wasonly  white  clay  or  chalk, 
the  natives  could  not  help  laughing  at  their  own  credulity. 

From  insinuations  he  proceeded  to  open  accusations.  After 
having  kept  himself  secluded  for  a fortnight,  he  one  day  ap- 
peared in  the  public  fold  and  proclaimed  that  he  had  at,  last 
discovered  the  cause  of  the  drought.  After  keeping  the  audience 
in  suspense  for  a short  time,  he  suddenly  broke  forth,  “ Do  you 
not  see,”  he  asked,  “when  clouds  cover  us,  that  Hamilton  and 
Moffat  look  at  them  ? Their  white  faces  scare  them  away,  and 
you  cannot  expect  rain  so  long  as  they  are  in  the  country.” 
This  was  a home  stroke.  The  people  became  impatient,  and 
poured  forth  their  curses  against  the  poor  missionaries  as  the 
cause  of  all  their  sorrows.  The  bell,  which  was  rung  for  public 
worship,  they  said,  frightened  the  vapors  ; the  prayers  even 
came  in  for  a share  of  the  blame.  “ Don’t  you,”  said  the  chief 
one  day  rather  fiercely  to  Mr.  Moffat,  “ bow  down  in  your 
houses,  and  pray  and  talk  to  something  bad  in  the  ground  ?” 

But  to  shorten  a long  story:  after  exposing  the  missionaries 
to  much  risk  and  danger  by  his  insinuations  and  accusations, 
the  tables  were  turned  in  their  favor.  The  rain-maker  was  now 
suspected  ; his  gross  impositions  were  unveiled,  and  he  was 
about  to  pay  the  penalty  of  death — the  well-merited  reward  for 
his  scandalous  conduct — when  Mr.  Moffat  generously  interfered, 
and,  through  his  presence  of  mind  and  humanity,  succeeded  in 
saving  the  life  of  one  who  had  so  often  threatened  his  own,  and 
who  would  not  have  scrupled  to  take  it,  could  he  thereby  have 
served  his  purpose.  Death,  however,  soon  overtook  him,  for  he 
was  eventually  murdered  amongst  the  Bauangketsi  nation. 

24 


770 


rOLYGAM  Y' B GRIAL  OF  THE  DEAD. 


Mr.  Moffat  concludes  bis  remarks  on  the  qareer  of  this  notable 
rain-maker  bjr  the  following  observation : — 

“It  is  a remarkable  fact  that  a rain-maker  never  dies  a natural 
death.  I have  known  some,  and  heard  of  many,  who  had,  by 
one  means  or  other,  fallen  a prey  to  the  fury  of  their  disap- 
pointed employers;  but,  notwithstanding  this,  there  was  no 
want  of  successors.  There  is  not  one  tribe  whose  people  have 
not  imbrued  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  these  impostors,  whom  j 
they  first  adore,  then  curse,  and,  lastly,  destroy.” 

Polygamy  exists  to  almost  unlimited  extent.  A man  may 
have  as  many  wives  as  he  chooses,  provided  he  can  pay  for  such 
privilege  the  usual  fees,  which  vary  according  to  the  wealth  of 
the  husband. 

Like  the  Damaras,  the  Bechuanas  practice  circumcision.  From 
an  early  age  upwards,  even  to  manhood,  the  males  are  circum-  j 
cised.  Children,  however,  born  of  parents  previously  to  their 
having  been  operated  upon,  cannot  inherit  regal  power.  The 
ceremony  being  performed,  the  youth  is  anointed,  and  at  once  |j 
assumes  the  character,  air,  and  dress  of  a man.  He  is  also  con- 
sidered  fit  to  carry  arms. 

The  females  have  also  their  “religious”  festival  about  the  same 
age  as  the  boys;  and,  for  a certain  period,  are  under  the  tuition 
of  matrons,  who  indoctrinate  them  in  all  the  duties  of  wives — |! 
passive  obedience  being  especially  inculcated.  As  a last  ordeal, 
they  are  made  to  carry  a piece  of  heated  iron,  in  order  to  show 
that  their  hands  are  fit  for  labor.  They  are  then  lubricated  jj 
with  grease  ; the  lower  part  of  their  hair  is  shaven  off,  and  the 
remainder  profusely  bedaubed  with  a paste  of  butter  and  sebilo 
(dark,  shining  ochre).  They  now  adopt  the  usual  female  dress. 
“Raised  thus,  from  comparative  infancy  to  what  they  consider 
womanhood,  they  view  themselves  with  as  much  complacency 
as  if  they  were  enrobed  in  the  attire  of  a daughter  of  an  eastern 
potentate.  They  have  reached  nearly  to  a climax  in  their  life; 
for  they  expect  soon  to  be  married — to  be  a mother  they  con- 
sider the  chief  end  of  a woman’s  existence.” 

The  Bechuanas  generally  bury  their  dead.  The  ceremony 
of  interment,  etc.,  varies  in  different  localities,  and  is  influenced 
by  the  rank  of  the  deceased ; but  the  following  is  a fair  speci- 
men of  the  way  in  which  these  obsecpiies  are  managed. 

On  the  approaching  dissolution  of  a man,  a skin,  or  net,  is 
thrown  over  the  body,  which  is  held  in  a sitting  posture,  with 
the  knees  doubled  up  under  the  chin,  until  life  is  extinct.  A 
grave  is  then  dug — very  frequently  in  the  cattle-fold — six  teet 
in  depth,  and  about,  three  in  width,  the  interior  being  rubbed 


BECHUANA  CHARACTER. 


371 


over  with  a certain  large  bulb.  The  body,  having  the  head 
covered,  is  then  conveyed  through  a hole,  made  for  the  purpose 
in  the  house  and  the  surrounding  fence,  and  deposited  in  the 
grave  in  a sitting  position,  care  being  taken  to  put  the  face  of 
the  corpse  against  the  north.  “Portions  of  an  ant-hill  are 
placed  about  the  feet,  when  the  net  which  held  the  bod}'-  is  gra- 
dually withdrawn.  As  the  grave  is  filled  up,  the  earth  is  hand- 
ed in  with  bowls,  while  two  men  stand  in  the  hole  to  tread  it 
down  round  the  body,  great  care  being  taken  to  pick  out  every- 
thing like  a root  or  pebble.  When  the  earth  reaches  the  height 
-of  the  mouth,  a small  twig  or  branch  of  an  acacia  is  thrown  in, 
and  on  the  top  of  the  head  a few  roots  of  grass  are  placed.  The 
grave  being  nearly  filled,  another  root  of  grass  is  fixed  imme- 
diately over  the  head,  part  of  which  stands  above  ground. 
When  this  portion  of  the  ceremony  is  over,  the  men  and  women 
stoop,  and  with  their  hands  scrape  on  to  the  little  mound  the 
loose  soil  lying  about.  A large  bowl  of  water,  with  an  infusion 
of  bulbs,  is  now  brought,  when  the  men  and  women  wash  their 
hands  and  the  upper  part  of  their  feet,  shouting  ‘Pula!  pula!’ 
(Rain  ! rain  !)  An  old  woman,  probably  a relation,  will  then 
bring  the  weapons  of  the  deceased  (bow,  arrows,  war-axe,  and 
spears);  also  grain  and  garden  seeds  of  various  kinds  ; and  even 
the  bone  of  an  old  pack-ox,  with  other  things.  They  finally  ad- 
dress the  grave,  saying,  ‘These  are  all  your  articles.’  The 
things  are  then  taken  away,  and  bowls  of  water  are  poured  on 
the  grave,  when  all  retire,  the  women  wailing — ‘ Yo!  yo  ! yo  !’ 
with  some  doleful  dirge,  sorrowing  without  hope.” 

“ The  ancients  were  of  opinion  that  the  face  was  always  the 
index  of  the  mind.  Modern  physiognomists  have  gone  a step 
further,  pretending,  that  a fine  form,  perfect  in  all  its  parts, 
cannot  contain  a crooked  or  an  imperfect  mind.-”  Judging  the 
mind  of  a Bechuana  by  such  a rule,  it  would  not  be  pronounced 
deficient  in  talent.  Not  is  it.  But,  though  the  Bechuanas  are 
a very  superior  race  of  men,  they  frequently  conceal  cunning 
and  duplicity  under  an  open  and  dignified  exterior.  Any  act, 
no  matter  how  disgraceful,  if  attended  with  success,  will  make 
them  perfectly  happy.  “ The  Bechuana  character  is  frank  and 
sociable,  which,  however,  does  not  appear  to  rise  from  benevo- 
lence of  disposition  so  much  as  from  a degree  of  etiquette  and 
habits  arising  from  relationship  and  docility.”  Like  most  bar- 
barians, their  political  wisdom  consists  in  duplicity  and  petty 
cunning;  and  their  ordinary  wars  are  merely  predatory  incur- 
sions upon  weaker  neighbors,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  off 
cattle  with  as  little  exposure  as  possible  of  their  own  lives. 


372 


THIEVISH  PROPENSITIES. 


They  are  exceedingly  vindictive  and  revengeful;  but 
if  the  injured  party  be  propitiated  with  gifts,  and  the  ene- 
my acknowledge  the  error  of  his  doings,  apparent  cordiality 
and  unanimity  generally  succeed  to  the  most  inveterate 
hatred. 

From  the  king  to  the  slave,  theft  is  a prevailing  vice  with  the 
Bechuanas  ; and,  from  what  I have  seen  of  them,  I am  confident 
that  the  wealthiest  and  the  most  exalted  amongst  them  would 
not  hesitate  to- steal  the  shirt  off  one’s  back,  could  he  effect  it 
without  being  compromised.  Their  pilfering  habits  know  no 
bounds;  and  they  carry  on  the  game  with  much  dexterity. 
When  grouped  about  our  camp  fires,  I have  known  them  to 
abstract  the  tools  with  which  we  have  been  working;  nay,  in- 
deed, the  very  knives  and  forks  from  our  plates.  Once,  they 
actually  took  the  meat  out  of  the  pot,  as  it  was  boiling  on  the 
fire,  substituting  a stone!  They  will  place  their  feet  over  any 
small  article  lying  on  the  ground,  burying  it  in  the  sand  with 
their  toes;  and,  if  unable  to  carry  it  away  at  the  time,  they  re- 
turn to  fetch  it  at  a more  convenient  period. 

I have  suffered  cruelly  from  their  thievish  propensities. 
When  at  the  Lake,  they  deprived  me  of  almost  the  whole  of  my 
wardrobe,  besides  numerous  other  articles.  Not  liking  to  make 
a disturbance,  and  knowing  the  uselessness  of  complaining,  I 
bore  my  misfortunes  for  a time  with  patience;  but  there  is  a 
limit  to  everything.  Finding  one  morning,  that  a bag,  contain-  | 
ing  no  less  than  forty  pounds  of  shot  (a  most  invaluable  treasure  ! 
to  me)  had  disappeared  in  a mysterious  manner,  I could  no 
longer  restrain  my  rage.  We  tracked  the  thief  to  the  water  ; 
but  here,  of  course,  all  our  efforts  to  follow  him  further  were  | 
frustrated.  I then  proceeded  direct  to  the  Chief,  and  repre- 
sented to  him,  in  the  strongest  colors,  the  abominable  conduct  1 
of  his  people,  who  robbed  me  with  impunity  under  his  very  f 
eyes,  adding,  that  their  behavior  was  the  more  flagitious,  as  I 
had  loaded  both  him  and  his  men  with  presents,  and  treated 
them  with  undeviating  kindness.  To  my  astonishment  and 
disgust,  he  laughed  outright  in  my  face,  and  told  me  that  he 
could  not  control  his  men  in  this  respect.  Indeed,  his  own  re- 
lations would  play  him  the  same  trick. 

“ So  much  the  more  disgraceful  to  you,”  1 remarked;  adding 
“that  he  might  rest  assured  I would  take  good  care  to  tell  my 
countrymen  of  the  villainous  conduct  of  the  people  at  Lake 
Ngami.” 

“ Well,”  he  replied,  “ I really  cannot  assist  you  in  this  matter, 
but  will  give  you  wholesome  advice — and  my  authority  for  act- 


D R R S S G REAT  SNUFF-TAKERS. 


ing  on  it ; that  is,  to  hang  on  the  nearest  tree  the  first  man  you 
satch  stealing.” 

IHe  said  this  with  so  much  coolness,  indifference,  and  good- 
humor,  that  I could  not,  vexed  as  I was,  refrain  from  smiling; 
and.  half  reconciled,  I turned  away  from  him,  exclaiming— 
“Well,  Lecholetebe,  you  are  an  incurable  rogue!” 

That  .the  people  really  did  purloin  articles  from  their  own 
chief,  I had  an  instance  when  at  the  Lake.  Entering  a 
trader's  hut  one  day,  I observed  some  beautiful  hippopotamus 
teeth,  and,  on  inquiring  how  he  had  become  possessed  of  them, 
he  replied,  “ why, -Lecholetebe  has  just  asked  the  same  question. 
They  were  stolen  from  the  chief  by  his  own  uncle  this  very 
morning,  who  sold  them  to  me  as  his  individual  property,  not 
above  half  an  hour  ago.” 

The  attire  of  the  Bechuanas  is  scanty  enough.  Those,  how- 
ever, who  have  had  much  intercourse  with  Europeans,  begin  to 
adopt  their  mode  of  dress;  but  the  women,  contrary  to  custom, 
are  very  tenacious  of  their  peculiar  toilet,  apparently  preferring 
the  garb  of  mother  Eve.  The  appearance  of  the  ladies  is  mas- 
culine and  far  from  prepossessing.  Their  figures  are  usually 
short,  stout,  and  clumsy,  which  is  still  further  increased  by  the 
vast  numbers  of  beads  worn  by  the  more  wealthy,  which  hang 
in  cumbrous  coils  round  the  waist  and  neck.  Their  wrists, 
arms,  and  ankles,  moreover,  are  encircled  by  rings  of  copper, 
iron,  and  brass,  of  various  forms  and  sizes.  They  delight  in 
finery;  and,  besides  the  decoration  of  their  own  persons,  they 
profusely  ornament  their  skin,  shirts,  and  cloaks — the  whole 
being  bedaubed  with  masses  of  fat  and  red  ochre.  “Their 
naturally  woolly  hair  is  twisted  in  small  cords,  and  matted  with 
, the  above  substances  into  apparently  metallic  pendules,  which, 
being  of  equal  length,  assume  the  appearance  of  a skull-cap  or 
inverted  bowl  of  steel.” 

Notwithstanding  the  Bechuanas  acknowledge  us  to  be  a supe- 
rior race  to  themselves,  they  have  no  hesitation  to  pronounce 
many  of  our  habits  and  customs  both  clumsy  and  troublesome 
They  laugh  at  us  for  putting  our  legs  and  arms  into  bags,  and 
using  buttons  for  the  purpose  of  fastening  bandages  round  our 
bodies,  instead  of  suspending  them  as  ornaments  from  the  neck, 
or  hair  of  the  head.  Once  initiated  in  the  use  of  these  things, 
however,  they  are  but  too  glad  to  benefit  by  them.  To  wash 
the  body,  instead  of  lubricating  it  with  grease  and  red  ochre, 
seems  to  them  a disgusting  custom  ; and  cleanliness  about  one’s 
food,  house,  bedding,  etc.,  often  creates  their  mirth  and  ridicule- 
The  Bechuanas  are  great  snuff-takers,  and  they  indulge  in 


S M O K I N G — O CCUPATIONS. 


the  luxury  to  excess.  Sharing  the  contents  of  your  snuff-box  ] 
with  a stranger  is  almost  the  greatest  compliment  that  can  be  paid 
to  him.  Knowing  their  propensity  in  this  respect,  I brought 
with  me  a large  supply;  but,  on  my  arrival  at  the  Lake,  wa~ 
astonished  to  find  that  they  scarcely  deigned  to  look  at  it.  i 
soon  discovered  the  cause  of  their  singular  abstinence,  which 
arose  simply  from  the  article  not  being  sufficiently  pungent.  ' 
Unless  it  forces  tears  into  their  eyes,  they  look  upon  snnff  as 
worthless. 

The  way  in  which  the  Bechuanas  themselves  manufacture 
snuff  is  singular  enough.  A piece  of  tobacco  being  presented  I 
to  a man,  two  stones  are  forthwith  procured,  between  which  ( 
the  weed  is  carefully  ground,  and,  when  of  sufficient  firmness,  a |j 
quantity  of  wood-ash  is  added,  which,  to  their  nostrils,  consti-  > 
tutes  the  very  perfection  of  snuff.  When  the  amalgamation  of 
the  ingredients  is  perfected,  every  one  presses  eagerly  forward  | 
to  have  a pinch.  Each  fills  the  palm  of  his  hand  with  the  mix- 
ture, and  scoops  it  into  the  nose  with  a peculiarly  shaped  iron 
or  ivory  spoon,  hung  round  the  neck,  drawing  ever f grain  lei- 
surely up  into  the  nostrils  in  such  abundance  as  to  force  big 
tears  into  the  eyes,  thus  proving  the  extent  of  the  enjoyment, 

“ Worse  than  barbarian  would  that  man  be  esteemed  who  would 
wantonly  interrupt  a social  party  so  employed.”  Their  greasy 
fingers  constitute  their  handkerchiefs  on  such  occasions,  and  their 
faces,  after  one  of  these  “ snuff-floods,”  may  not  inaptly  be  likened 
to  a dewy  and  furrowed  field.  Their  snuff-boxes  are  either  the 
kernel  of  the  palm-fruit,  hollowed  out,  or  a diminutive  gourd ; 
and,  like  the  ladles,  are  suspended  round  the  neck,  though, 
sometimes,  they  are  secured  to  the  arm  above  the  elbow. 

The  Bechuanas  smoke  ; but  it  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  a 
fashionable  vice  among  them.  This  is,  at  least,  as  regards  the 
men — for  the  women,  on  the  contrary,  are  inveterate  smokers — 
a habit  (as  already  mentioned  when  speaking  of  the  Hill-Dama- 
ras)  often  productive  of  serious  bodily  disorders. 

The  occupations  of  the  men  consist  chiefly  in  going  to  war, 
hunting,  preparing  fur  and  skins  for  carosses,  milking  the  cows, 
etc. ; whilst  those  of  the  women  are  by  far  the  heaviest — namely, 
the  erection  of  houses,  collecting  and  bringing  fuel,  tilling,  sowing, 
reaping,  thrashing  and  grinding  the  corn — not  to  mention  the 
heavy  task  of  rearing  a family.  Whde  cultivating  the  ground, 

I have  often  seen  a woman,  with  one  or  two  babies  fastened  to 
her  back,  under  a scorching  sun.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all 
these  exhausting  and  galling  duties,  they  would  be  amazed 
were  a person  to  tell  them  that  a state  of  “single  blessedness” 


GARDENING  AND  AGRICULTURE COMMERCE. 


would  be  preferable  to  that  of  being  the  drudge  of  a haughty 
and  indolent  husband. 

“ While  standing  near  the  wife  of  one  of  the  grandees,”  writes 
Mr.  Moffat,  “who,  with  some  female  companions,  was  building 
a house,  and  making  preparations  to  scramble,  by  means  of  a 
branch,  on  to  the  roof,  I remarked  that  they  ought  to  get  their 
husbands  to  do  that  part  of  the  work.  This  set  them  all  into  a 
roar  of  laughter.  Mahuto,  the  queen,  and  several  of  the  men 
drawing  near,,  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  merriment,  the 
wives  repeated  my — tq  them — strange  and  ludicrous  proposal, 
when  another  peal  of  mirth  ensued.  Mahuto,  who  was  a sensi- 
ble and  shrewd  woman,  stated  that  the  plan,  though  hopeless, 
was  a good  one,  as  she  often  thought  our  custom  was  much  better 
than  theirs.  It  was  reasonable  that  woman  should  attend  to 
household  affairs,  and  the  lighter  parts  of  labor;  while  man, 
wont  to  boast  of  his  superior  strength,  should  employ  his  energy 
in  more  laborious  occupations;  adding,  she  wished  I would  give 
their  husbands  medicine  to  make  them  do  the  work.” 

The  JBechuanas,  who  inhabit  the  shores  of  the  Ngami,  are 
rich  in  sheep  and  goats,  but  possess  comparatively  few  horned 
cattle.  Like  other  tribes  of  that  nation,  they  are  excessively 
fond  of  their  oxen,  but  more  particularly  prize  their  cows,  which 
scarcely  anything  can  induce  them  to  part  with.  Indeed,  they 
will  readily  give  ivory,  when  plentiful,  in  exchange  for  cows. 

Gardening  and  agriculture  are  much  practiced  by  the  Bechu- 
anas.  These  occupations  are  conducted  in  nearly  a similar 
manner  as  that  described  amongst  the  Ovambo.  The  vegeta- 
bles and  the  grain  are  also  very  much  the  same. 

The  only  marketable  articles,  as  yet  ascertained  at  the  Lake, 
are  ostrich  feathers,  furs,  and  skins  of  various  sorts,  rhinoceros- 
horns,  and  ivory  (elephant  and  hippopotamus).  The  staple  arti- 
cles of  exchange  are  beads,  and  more  especially  ammunition. 
Clothing  is  as  yet  but  very  little  in  demand,  the  people  not  be- 
ing sufficiently  advanced  in  civilization  to  care  for  such  a luxury. 
Even  beads  are  not  sought  after  with  the  avidity  they  used  to 
be,  such  quantities  having  of  late  been  exported  to  the  Lake 
country,  that  (to  use  a vulgar,  but  very  emphatic  expression  of 
Lecholetebe)  “ the  women,”  who  chiefly  wear  beads,  “ grunt 
under  their  burdens  like  pigs.”  No  visitor,  however,  should  be 
entirely  without  them.  All  large  beads  are  useless.  Small 
beads  of  the  following  colors,  pink,  dull-white,  light-green, 
brick-colored,  light-blue,  dark-blue,  and  yellow,  are  chiefly  in 
demand. 

The  Bechuanas  of  the  Lake  are  fond  of  the  chase,  and  almost: 


HUNTING  AND  FISHING. 


376 

daily  parties  are  sent  out  to  provide  for  the  chief’s  table.  But, 
though  possessed  of  a great  number  of  fire-arms,  few  of  the  men 
have  as  yet  attained  any  proficiency  in  their  use.  By  far  the 
greater  portion  of  animals  slain  are  obtained  by  means  of  pit- 
falls  dug  by  the  bushmen  and  the  Bayeye  along  the  banks  of  the 
rivers.  As  many  as  thirty  to  forty  pit-falls  may  be  seen  extend- 
ing in  one  continuous  line. 

Though' the  finny  tribe  is  pretty  numerous  in  the  Lake  and  its 
rivers,  none  of  the  Bechuanas  take  the  trouble  to  catch  them. 
The  conquered  race,  the  Bayeye,  however,  are  very  expert  and 
industrious  fishermen. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

DEPARTURE  FOR  LIBEBE THE  CANOE THE  LAKE REACH  THE  TEOGE— ~ 

ADVENTURE  WITH  A LECHE LUXURIOUS  VEGETATION EXUBERANCE  OF 

ANIMAL  LIFE BUFFALOES THE  KOODOO HIS  HAUNTS PACE FOOD — 

FLESH HIDE DISPOSITION GREGARIOUS  HABITS THE  CHASE. 

As  Lecholetebe  proved  true  to  his  word,  with  regard  to  j.ro- 
viding  me  with  men  and  boats,  I was  able,  after  only  a few 
days’  stay  at  the  Lake,  to  proceed  on  my  exploring  tour  to  the 
north.  To  the  last  moment,  however,  the  chief  and  his  people 
endeavored  to  dissuade  me  from  the  attempt,  urging,  amongst 
other  reasons,  the  enormous  windings  of  the  Teoge,  which  would 
prevent  me  from  reaching  my  destination  for  many  months;  as, 
also,  the  great  number  of  hippopotami,  which  they  represented 
as  the  most  savage  and  voracious  of  beasts. 

I did  not  give  much  credit  to  the  story  of  these  men,  not 
having  the  least  faith  in  their  word.  I told  them  that,  with 
regard  to  the  sinuosities  of  the  stream,  I hoped  to  overcome  that 
difficulty  by  patience  ; and,  as  to  the  sea-cows,  if  they  really 
were  such  monsters  as  described,  I assured  them  I was  quite 
confident  that  my  black  followers  (pointing  to  the  boatmen),  to 
whom  they  were  accustomed,  would  be  first  swallowed,  which 
would  give  me  time  to  escape.  With  this  rude  joke,  which 
highly  pi  eased  my  untutored  audience,  1 stepped  into  the  canoe, 
and.  waving  my  hand  in  token  of  leave  to  my  men  and  the  chief, 
I launched  forth  on  the  Zouga. 

The  canoe  in  which  I embarked  (and  they  are  all  somewhat 
similarly  constructed)  was  but  a miserable  craft.  It  consisted 
of  the  trunk  of  a.  tree,  about  twenty  feet  long,  pointed  at  both 
ends,  and  hollowed  out  by  means  of  fire  and  a small  hatche*-- 


37S 


THE  CANO  E R EACH  THE  TEOGE. 


The  natives  are  not  at  all  particular  as  to  the  shape  of  the  canoe. 
The  after-part  of  some,  that  have  come  under  my  notice,  would 
form  an  angle  of  near  forty-five  degrees  with  the  stem  ! Never- 
theless, they  were  propelled  through  the  water  by  the  Bayeye 
(my  boatmen  were  of  that  nation)  with  considerable  speed  and 
skill. 

The  appointments”  of  the  canoe  consist  of  a paddle  and  a 
pole,  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  length.  The  paddle-man  sits  well  in 
the  stern,  and  attends  mostly  to  the  steering;  whilst  his  com- 
rade, posted  at  the  head  of  the  canoe,  sends  her  along,  by  means  I 
of  the  pole,  with  great  force  and  skill. 

The  natives,  however,  rarely  venture  any  distance  from  the 
shore  in  their  frail  skiffs.  It  was  said  that  they  had  made 
several  attempts  to  cross  the  widest  part  of  the  Lake,  bat  had 
never  succeeded.  A party,  consisting  of  ten  or  twelve  canoes, 
hazarded  the  experiment  a few  years  previous  to  its  discovery  by 
Europeans,  but  were  not  again  heard  of,  from  which  it  was 
concluded  that  they  had  been  overtaken  by  a storm,  and  perish- 
ed. After  about  an  hour’s  paddling,  the  broad  expanse  of  the  | 
Lake  lay  before  me,  glittering  in  all  the  beauty  and  softness  j 
produced  by  reflection  of  the  warm  rays  of  a tropical  sun.  It 
was,  indeed,  a luxury,  after  so  much  traveling  in  the  burning!! 
desert,  to  be  able,  at  last,  to  float  upon 

“The  glassy,  cool,  translucent  wave 

and  the  pleasure  was  increased  by  my  partiality  to  water — an 
element  with  which  I had  become  familiar  in  the  early  stages  ' 
of  boyhood,  and  on  which  I have  spent  some  of  my  happiest 
days. 

As  I felt  the  cool  breeze  fanning  my  cheeks,  new  life  seemed 
to  stir  within  me,  and  my  heart  beat  high  with  joyous  excite- 
ment. 

Our  party,  at  starting,  consisted  of  only  three  or  four  canoes; 
but,  as  we  proceeded  on  the  voyage,  the  number  increased,  and 
ultimately  amounted  to  about  a dozen. 

In  consequence  of  the  frail  structure  of  our  craft,  and  the 
boatmen’s  tenacity  in  keeping  near  the  shore,  we  were  two  days 
in  getting  from  the  Zouga  to  the  western  extremity  of  the  Lake, 
although,  in  reality,  it  is  only  one  good  day’s  voyage.  It  was 
not,  therefere,  until  the  third  day  that  we  reached  the  chief 
entrance  of  the  mouth  of  the  Teoge  (for  here  the  river  spreads 
out  into  several  branches),  where  there  is  a bar.  The  water  was 
so  low  on  it  that,  although  the  stream  was  fast  rising  at  the  time 


ADVUNTUKB  WITH  A LECHt. 


370 


(August),  we  were  forced  to  draw  the  canoes  across  it  by  main 
foi  •ce.  It  is  true,  we  might  have  avoided  the  inconvenience  by 
proceeding  a mile  or  two  to  the  westward,  where  a channel 
exists  that  is  said  to  be  navigable  at  all  seasons. 

Our  voyage  across  the  Lake  was  attended  with  no  incident 
worth  recording  ; but,  on  reaching  the  point  just  mentioned,  I 
had  a.  little  adventure  with  a leche,  hundreds  of  which  might  be 
seen  grazing  and  sporting  amongst  the  shallows  and  the  numer- 
ous little  islets  of  the  Teoge. 

I had  gone  in  advance  of  my  party  in  the  hope  of  obtaining 
a shot ; but,  though  I met  with  vast  numbers  of  animals,  the 
openness  of  the  ground  prevented  me  from  getting  within  range. 
Being  quite  tired  by' my  severe,  but  fruitless  exertions,  1 was 
resting  on  the  rifle,  contemplating  the  novel  and  striking  scene, 
— the  Lake  with  its  broad  blue  waters,  its  finely  wooded  shores, 
the  varied  and  vast  herds  of  animals;  the  Teoge  with  its  nu- 
merous little  channels  and  sedgy  shores — when  I saw,  a little 
a-head  of  me,  two  magnificent  stag  leches  approaching  each 
other,  evidently  with  no  friendly  intentions.  I was  light  in  my 
conjecture  ; for,  in  a few  seconds  afterwards,  they  were  engaged 
in  combat.  Taking  advantage  of  this  lucky  incident,  I ap- 
proached, unperceived,  within  a dozen  paces,  when  1 quickly 
•dropped  on  one  knee  and  took  a deliberate  aim  at  the  shoulder 
of  the  nearest;  but,  just  as  I pulled  the  trigger,  he  received  a 
violent  thrust  from  his  antagonist  which  made  him  swerve  to 
one  side,  and  the  consequence  was,  that  the  ball,  instead  of 
piercing  his  heart,  merely  smashed  one  of  his  hind  lees.  The 
animals,  nevertheless,  were  so  intently  engaged,  that,  notwith- 
standing the  report  of  the  gun,  and  the  wounded  state  of  one  of 
them  (he  probably  attributed  this  to  his  adversary),  they  did 
not  observe  me.  Throwing  aside  the  rifle,  I drew  my  hunting 
knife,  and.  thus  armed,  rushed  upon  the  combatants.  Just, 
however,  as  I was  about  to  bury  the  fatal  weapon  in  the  flank 
-of  one  of  the  animals,  they  both  suddenly  became  aware  of  me, 
and  fled  precipitately.  The  wounded  beast  at  once  made  for 
the  river,  which  was  hard  by,  and,  though  it  was  running  very 
swiftly  at  this  point — perhaps  not  less  than  four  or  five  miles  an 
hour — lie  plunged  into  the  water. 

Not  being  then  awai’e  of  the  aquatic  habits  of  this  species  of 
antelope,  I was  very  much  astonished,  and,  for  a while,  thought 
the  beast  would  surely  be  carried  away  by  the  violence  of 
the  current  and  drowned.  But  I wras  soon  undeceived  ; for  he 
struck  bravely  out  for  the  opposite  shore,  his  course  being 
marked  with  streaks  of  crimson.  On  gaining  the  bank,  he  gave 


DEATH  OF  THE  BEAST. 


3S0 

one  glance  behind  him,  shook  his  bloodv  and  drizzling  coat,  and 
made  off.  I was  determined,  however,  not  to  be  beaten;  and, 
as  I had  nothing  on  but  a pair  of  trowsers  and  a flannel  shirt,  I 
threw  myself,  as  I was,  into  the  stream,  and  soon  succeeded  in  | 
reaching  the  opposite  bank,  when  I at  once  started  in  pursuit.  [ 

In  this  way.  swimming  and  wading  alternately,  several  rivu- 
lets, swamps,  and  dykes  were  crossed  and  recrossed  ; but,  for 
a long  time,  the  result  was  doubtful.  At  last,  however,  the  poor  [, 
animal  slackened  his  pace,  staggered,  and  lay  down,  but  again 
proceeded,  though  apparently  with  pain  and  difficulty.  Seeing 
this,  I redoubled  my  exertions,  and  having  succeeded  in  turning 
him  towards  the  Lake,  I drove  him  right  into  the  water,  which' 
was  here  shallow,  and  where  he  several  times  stuck  fast  in  the 
mud.  I now  felt  sure  of  my  quarry;  and  having  approached  - 
sufficiently  near,  I seized  him  by  the  wounded  leg,  and  severed 
the  tendon  at  the  knee-joint.  The  struggle  between  us  now 
became  severe  On  trying  to  lay  hold  of  his  horns,  which  were 
most  formidable  weapons,  with  the  intention  of  cutting  his 
throat,  he  struck  out  with  so  much  violence,  as  to  upset  me, 
and  I was  nearly  smothered  with  mud  and  water.  But  the 
poor  creature’s  course  was  run.  His  loss  of  blood  and  crippled 
state  soon  enabled  me  to  put  an  end  to  his  miseries.  He  was  a |l 
noble  old  stag — the  finest  antelope 'of  the  species  that  I ever 
shot,  and  they  were  many ; he  well  rewarded  me  for  all  my  ex- 
ertions. 

After  passing  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  Teoge,  the  depth 
ot  the  water  increased,  and  the  current  flowed  with  less  velocity 
— from  two  to  three  miles  per  hour,  I should  say.  For  the  first 
few  days’  journey,  the  country  presented  a rather  dreary  and 
monotonous  appearance,  being  frequently  flooded  fok  many 
miles  ; thus  converting  the  land  on  both  sides  into  extensive 
reedy  marshes,  only  occasionally  relieved  by  a pleasant  group 
of  the  date  and  the  fan-palm.  The  banks  were  in  many  places  | 
so  low,  that  when  bivouacking  on  shore,  we  often  slept  in  the 
water.  Even  where  the  banks  rose  a few  feet  above  the  surface, 
they  were  entirely  undermined  by  the  stream  ; and  if  a stick  |; 
was  thrust  through,  water  immediately  appeared  in  the  hole. 
Fuel  was  exceedingly  scarce,  and  could  only  be  purchased  from 
the  natives  (thinly  scattered  along  its  banks),  who  not  un fre- 
quently brought  it  from  a very  great  distance. 

On  the  fourth  day,  the  landscape  assumed  a more  pleasing 
aspect;  the  banks  of  the  river  became  higher,  and  were  richly 
covered  with  a rank  vegetation.  There  was  the  fan-palm,  the 
date,  the  black-stemmed  mimosa,  the  wild  and  wide-spreading 


la 


• r - r • , 

HIXUKIAST  TE6ETATIO  N A NIMA  L LIFE.  38  I 

sycamore,  the  elegant  and  dark-foliaged  moshoma,  and  a variety 
of  other  beautiful,  often  to  me  new,  trees — many  yielding  an 
abundance  of  palatable  and  nourishing  fruit.  Timbo,  who  ac- 
companied me,  recognized  no  less  than  six  or  seven  kinds  of 
fruit-trees,  indigenous  to  the  east  coast’of  Africa  and  the  adjacent 
countries.  The  arboreal  scenery,  indeed,  in  some  places  exceeded 
in  beauty  anything  that  I had  ever  seen.  I could  have  spent  days 
under  the  shade  of  some  of  these  ornamental  trees,  resounding  at 
times  with  the  wild  notes  of  birds,  whilst  in  the  distance  might 
be  seen  herds  of  the  finest  of  the  antelope  tribe.  Yet  common 
prudence  forbids  the  traveler  to  tarry.  When  the  stream,  after 
the  annual  overflow,  begins  to  subside,  noxious  effluvia  are  emit- 
ted, carrying  death  along  with  them.  Such  is  the  climate  of 
Africa  ! 


ASCENDING  THE  TEOGE. 

Animal  life  was  almost  on  a par  with  the  exuberant  vege- 
tation. Rhinoceroses,  hippopotami,  buffaloes,  sassabys,  harte- 
beests,  pallahs,  reed-buckS,  leches,  etc.,  were  constantly  seen* 
and  every  day  some  game  animal  or  other  was  shot.  Thus  J 
was  able  to  support  and  satisfy  our  large  and  hungry  party,  now 
consisting  of  fifty  or  sixty  individuals.  One  fine  afternoon  we 
came  to  a place  where  the  tracks  of  buffaloes  were  unusually 
numerous ; and,  having  hitherto  seen  little  of  that  animal,  I 
determined  to  halt  for  a day  or  two,  in  the  hope  not  only  of 
becoming  better  acquainted  with  it,  but  of  having  good  sport. 
The  surrounding  scenery,  besides,  was  attractive,  which  was  an 


A PANIC 


additional  inducement  to  devote  a short  time  to  rest  and  amuse 
rn'ent. 

The  first  night  that  I passed  at  a “skarm,”  was  a failure  in 
respect  of  game,  owing,  probably,  to  my  being  to  windward  of 
the  point  whence  the  buffaloes  were  .ikely  to  come,  who,  get- 
ting scent  of  me  from  a distance,  did  not  venture  to  approach 
my  place  of  concealment.  A small  herd  of  these  animals,  how- 
ever, came  within  range  of  Timbo,  whom  I had  also  placed  in 
ambush  some  little  way  from  me;  but,  as  usual,  he  missed, 
and  they  all  went  off  unhurt. 

Returning  to  camp  the  following  morning,  the  natives,  on 
hearing  of  our  ill  luck,  looked  so  hungry  and  unhappy  withal, 
that  although  I stood  greatly  in  need  of  rest  and  refresh- 
ment, I again  shouldered  my  rifle,  and  started  off  in  search 
of  game. 

On  this  occasion,  I was  accompanied  by  about  a score  of 
natives.  A couple  of  pallahs,  and  a koodoo,  were  soon  bag- 
ged ; but  a noble  sassaby  that  we  met  with,  got  off  unscathed. 

Afterwards,  we  searched  long  without  finding  anything;  but 
the  numerous  tracks  of  buffaloes  testified  that  this  part  of  the 
country  was  a favorite  haunt  of  those  animals.  At  last,  we 
came  to  the  skirts  of  a dense  thicket ; and,  peering  amongst  the 
bushes,  I presently  espied  several  dark  objects  on  the  ground, 
which  at  once  struck  me  must  be  buffaloes.  Placing  my  finger 
on  my  lips,  as  a sign  that  silence  was  required,  and  pointing  in 
the  direction  of  the  dark  objects,  I whispered  the  word  “ onja,” 
meaning  buffalo.  Not  the  presence  of  his  Satanic  Majesty 
could  have  caused  greater  consternation  amongst  my  followers; 
for  no  sooner  was  the  magic  word  uttered,  than  one  and  all  of 
them  wheeled  about,  and  made  a headlong  retreat.  One  of  the 
men  was  carrying  a heavy  rifle  of  mine,  and  wishing  to  get 
possession  of  it,  I followed  in  their  footsteps.  But  this  made 
bad  worse;  for,  seeing  me  also  running,  and  thinking  the  enemy 
was  at  their  heels,  they  redoubled  their  pace;  nor  did  they 
stop  until  at  a most  respectful  distance  from  the  thicket.  It 
was  really  absurd  to  see  us  thus  endeavoring  to  outrun  each 
•other. 

Having,  at  length,  overtaken  the  men,  and  secured  my  rifle, 
I returned  to  the  spot  whence  I had  first  observed  the  suspici- 
ous objects  ; but,  though  I approached  to  within  a dozen  paces 
•of  them.  I was  unable,  from  the  denseness  of  the  cover,  to  make 
out  their  identity. 

A tree  was  hard  by ; and,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  a better 
view,  I at  once  ascended  it.  But  in  this  matter  I was  disap- 


THE  MYSTERY  SOLVED. 


383 


pointed  , for,  even  when  thus  elevated,  I could  see  no  better 
than  from  the  ground.  As  the  only  mode  left  me  of  satisfying 
my  doubts,  I now  fired  into  the  midst  of  the  dark  objects  in 
question  ; but  not  a living  thing  stirred.  For  a moment,  I 
fancied  I must  have  been  in  error,  and  that  what  I had  taken 
for  animals,  were  neither  more  nor  less  than  huge  stones.  How- 
evqjr,  to  set  the  point  at  rest,  after  reloading,  I sent  a second 
ball  in  the  same  direction  as  the  first;  and  this  time  to  some 
purpose;  for,  at  the  report  of  the  gun,  up  sprung  to  their  feet 
four  magnificent  male  buffaloes;  and,  after  tossing  their  heads 
proudly,  and  sniffing  the  air  for  a moment,  they  broke  cover  in 
good  style,  and,  to  all  appearance,  unhurt.  I never  saw  them 
again. 

Following  leisurely  on  their  tracks,  in  order  to  ascertain 
whether  any  of  the  beasts  were  hurt,  a herd  of  buffaloes — at 
least  two  hundred  in  number — suddenly  rushed  past  us  with  the 
violence  of  a tornado,  breaking  down  and  crashing  everything 
that  opposed  their  headlong  career ; and  raising  so  great  a cloud 
of  dust  as  nearly  to  conceal  their  dark  forms  from  view.  I fired 
into  the  midst  of  them,  at  random,  and  had  the  satisfaction  to 
see  a cow  drop  to  the  shot. 

The  report  of  the  rifle  brought  the  whole  herd  almost  imme- 
diately to  a stand  ; and,  facing  round,  they  confronted  us  in 
one  dark  mass.  Taking  advantage  of  a tree  at  some  little 
distance  a-head,  I stalked  to  within  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
paces  of  this  formidable  phalanx.  Resting  the  gun  on  a branch, 
I took  a steady  aim  at  the  leading  bull  ; but  though  I very  dis- 
tinctly heard  the  bullet  strike  him,  he  did  not  flinch  in  the 
slightest  degree. 

One  of  the  natives  having  by  this  time  mustered  courage  to 
steal  up  to  me  with  my  rifle,  I fired  a second  time,  though  at 
another  of  the  herd,  but  with  no  better  result.  Six  several 
times,  at  the  least,  did  I repeat  the  dose ; and,  though  on  each 
occasion  the  ball  told  loudly  on  the  animal’s  body,  neither  it, 
nor  any  one  of  the  herd  (strange  as  it  may  appear)  budged  an 
inch  ! They  seemed  to  be  chained  to  the  spot  by  some  invisi- 
ble power,  eyeing  me  all  the  while  with  an  ominous  and  sinis- 
ter look.  Their  strange  and  unaccountable  bearing  puzzled  me 
beyond  measure.  I expected  every  instant  to  see  them  charge 
down  upon  me.  But  even  had  this  happened — though  I am 
free  to  confess  I felt  anything  but  comfortable — my  personal 
safety  would  not,  perhaps,  have  been  much  endangered,  as  by 
ascending  the  tree  against  which  I was  leaning,  I should  have 
been  out  of  harm’s  way.  However,  I was  not  driven  to  this 


384 


THE  KOODOu. 


extremity;  for,  whilst  about  to  ram  down  another  ball,  the 
whole  herd  suddenly  wheeled  about,  and,  with  a peculiar 
shrieking  noise,  tails  switching  to  and  fro  over  their  backs, 
and  heads  lowered  almost  to  the  ground,  they  made  off  at  a 
furious  pace. 

On  proceeding  to  the  spot  where  the  buffaloes  had  been 
standing,  I observed  large  patches  of  blood  on  the  ground,  and 
felt  convinced  that  both  the  animals  at  which  I had  Id  red  must 
have  been  severely,  if  not  mortally,  wounded.  We  followed 
their  tracks  for  a considerable  distance,  but  saw  no  more  of  . 
them.  From  information  received  from  the  bushmen  at  a 
subsequent  period,  however,  there  is  little  doubt  that  both  per- 
ished. 

The  night  closing  in,  I determined  on  once  more  lying  in 
ambush.  I waited  long  in  vain  ; but  at  last  I observed  a 
solitary  buffalo — an  immense  bull — slowly  and  cautiously 
approaching  my  hiding-place,  stopping  every  now  and  then  to 
listen.  When  so  near  the  “ skarm”  as  almost  to  touch  it, 

I pulled  the  trigger,  but,  to  my  great  annoyance,  the  gun 
snapped.  On  hearing  the  click,  the  animal  wheeled  about,  and  | 
hurriedly  retreated  ; but,  after  proceeding  about  forty  paces,  he 
suddenly  halted,  and,  turning  partially  round,  exposed  his  broad- 
side. Having,  in  the  interim,  put  on  another  cap,  I took 
advantage  of  his  favorable  position,  and  again  pulled  the  trig- 
ger. This- time  I succeeded  in  placing  a bullet  well  in  the 
beast’s  shoulder.  The  instant  he  received  the  shot,  he  leaped 
high  into  the  air,  and  then  plunged  violently  forward.  Imme- 
diately afterwards  I heard  a deep  moaning  in  the  direction  he 
had  taken — an  unmistakable  sign  that  he  was  mortally  hurt. 
Nevertheless,  what  with  the  severe  lesson  I had  recently 
received  from  the  black  rhinoceros,  and  the  well-known  sav- 
age nature  of  a wounded  buffalo,  I did  not  think  it  prudent 
to  follow  him.  The  next  morning,  however,  search  was  made, 
when  he  was  found  dead  within  less  than  a hundred  yards  of 
my  “ skarm,”  the  ball  having  pierced  his  heart. 

Koodoos  were  also  occasionally  seen  and  killed.  Of  all  that 
varied  and  beauteous  form  of  animal  life,  to  be  found  in  the 
boundless  woods  and  plains  of  tropical  South  Africa,  the  koo- 
doo is  unquestionably  the  most  distinguished  for  elegance  and 
gracefulness,  united  with  strength.  The  height  of  the  male  at 
the  shoulder  is  about  four  feet.  The  general  color  of  his  body 
is  a “ rufous  gray,”  marked  with  several  white  bars  over  the 
Dack  and  croup.  The  male  carries  his  exquisitely  formed 
head,  ornamented  with  ponderous  spiral  horns  of  about  three 


ITS  HAUNTS. 


38: 


feet  or  more  in  length,  very  erect,  which  gives  him  an  air  of 
nobility  and  independence.  The  koodoo,  in  short,  is  a perfect 
picture  ; and,  “ when  standing  broadside  on,  is  decidedly  one  of 
the  grandest  looking  antelopes  in  the  world.” 

The  koodoo  is  not  uncommon  throughout  the  more  wooded 
districts  of  Damara-land  ; but  from  its  leading  a very  secluded 
life,  it  is  not  so  often  seen  as  others  of  the  antelope  tribe.  Hia 
favorite  haunts  are  the  stony  slopes  of  hills,  overgrown  with 
brushwood.  In  localities  not  much  frequented  by  man,  how- 
ever, and  in  the  early  part  of  the  day,  he  may  be  seen  in  more 
open  ground,  on  the  outskirts  of  woods,  borders  of  vleys,  and 
banks  of  rivers. 

His  gait  is  very  graceful  ; but  his  pace,  which  consists  of  a 
moderately  fast  gallop,  is  less  elegant.  When  pursued,  he 
clears,  with  considerable  agility,  bushes,  stones,  and  other  minor 
obstructions  that  may  oppose  his  course,  his  leaps  being  often  of 
very  considerable  extent. 

His  food  consists  chiefly  of  leaves,  buds,  and  the  young  shoots 
of  trees  and  bushes.  He  seems  capable  of  going  a very  long  time 
without  water,  and  only  occasionally  frequents  the  pool. 

The  koodoo  produces  only  one  young  at  a time. 

His  flesh,  when  in  good  condition,  is  excellent,  and  the  soup 
or  bouillon , made  from  it  is  delicious.  The  marrow  extracted 
from  the  bones  is  highly  prized  by  the  natives,  who  deem  it 
better  than  that  obtained  from  any  other  animal.  They,  con- 
sequently, devour  it  greedily,  and  often  without  any  kind  of 
preparation. 

The  hide  of  the  koodoo  is  greatly  valued,  as  well  by  the  hunt- 
er as  the  colonist.  It  is  rather  thin,  but  exceedingly  tough  and 
pliable,  and  will  stand  more  wear  and  tear  than  any  other  hide 
of  the  same  substance.  It  is  chiefly  used  for  shoes,  lashes  of 
whips,  thongs,  straps,  and  harness  in  general.  A koodoo  hide, 
well  prepared  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  is  worth 
from  twenty  to  thirty  shillings;  and,  being  much  in  request 
imongst  the  farmers,  is  no  despicable  article  of  commerce  for 
home  consumption. 

The  koodoo  is  naturally  of  a shy  and  timid  nature  ; but  the 
male,  when  hotly  pressed  or  wounded,  will  not  unfrequently 
face  about,  and  even  attack  his  pursuer. 

This  species  of  antelope  is  gregarious,  though  seldom  seen  in 
large  herds,  five  or  six  being  the  usual  number.  The  males  are 
frequently  met  with  singly. 

As  already  seen,  when  taken  young,  this  animal  is  easily  do- 
mesticated, and  becomes  very  tame.  Notwithstanding,  to  the 


888 


STALKING  THE  KOODOO. 


best  of  my  belief,  no  specimen  has  ever  been  brought  to  this 
country  alive. 

From  the  koodoo’s  secluded  habits,  fewer  of  these  animals 
are  killed — as  regards  Damara-land,  at  least — than  any  other 
species  of  antelope  indigenous  to  Southern  Africa.  He  is  some- 
times hunted  on  horseback;  and  if  a hunter  has  the  good 
fortune  to  meet  with  one  in  a favorable  and  open  locality,  there 
is  no  great  difficulty  in  running  it  down  ; but,  as  the  animal 
holds,  for  the  most  part,  to  hilly  and  stony  ground,  and  such  as 
is  wooded  withal,  the  chase — even  if  successful — usually  proves 
an  arduous  one. 

The  preferable  course  is  to  hunt  it  on  foot.  Stalking  the 
koodoo  was  a favorite  pursuit  of  mine,  and  many  a noble  stag 
have  I thus  laid  low.  But,  on  account  of  the  wooded  nature  of 
the  country  it  inhabits,  the  difficulty  of  approaching  unper- 
ceived, within  gunshot,  is  very  considerable,  and  it  is  greatly 
increased  by  Nature,  who,  with  her  usual  wonderful  provision, 
has  provided  the  koodoo  with  the  most  exquisite  sense  of  hear- 
ing. Its  large,  prominent  ears  apparently  act  as  a kind  of  focus, 
against  which  any  unusual  noise  or  sound  is  quickly  arrested  in 
its  progress. 

The  bushmen  have  a way  of  their  own  of  hunting  the  koo- 
doo, viz.,  by  running  it  down,  not  by  speed  of  foot,  but  by 
gradually  exhausting  it.  When  a hunt  of  this  kind  is  decided  on, 
a number  of  these  people  assemble,  armed  with  assegais,  etc. 
Having  started  the  animal,  one  of  the  party  takes  up  its  “ spoor” 
at  a quick  pace,  the  rest  following  more  leisurely.  On  feeling 
fatigued,  the  leading  man  drops  behind  his  comrades,  and  the 
next  in  order  takes  up  the  pursuit,  and  so  on,  until  they  secure 
the  prize.  Sometimes  this  is  effected  in  the  course  of  a few 
hours ; but  it  happens,  also,  that  the  chase  lasts  for  a whole 
day,  or  even  longer.  All  depends  on  the  ground.  If  stony  or 
rocky,  the  men  have  an  immense  advantage  over  the  animal, 
who,  under  such  circumstances,  soon  becomes  foot-sore,  lies 
down  repeatedly,  and,  after  a while,  is  found  unable  to  rise, 
when  he  is  quickly  dispatched.  The  women  and  children 
carry  water  on  these  occasions  for  the  hunters,  so  that,  should 
the  animal  prove  very  enduring,  his  pursuers  may  not  be  neces- 
sitated to  give  up  the  chase  for  want  of  that  indispensable 
necessary. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

TSETSE  FLY CONFINED  TO  PARTICULAR  SPOTS ITS  SIZE ITS  DESTRUC- 
TIVENESS  FATAL  TO  DOMESTIC  ANIMALS SYMPTOMS  IN  THE  OX  WHEN 

BITTEN  BY  THE  TSETSE. 

During  my  hunting  excursions  alongthe  Teoge,  I encountered, 
for  the  first  time,  that  most  extraordinary  of  insects,  the  tsetse 
( glossina  morsitans , Westw.).1  Among  the  several  scourges  to 
which  the  traveler  is  subjected  in  the  South  African  wilderness, 
one  of  the  greatest  is  this  insect ; not,  it  is  true,  as  to  the  way- 
farer’s own  person  ; for  he  himself  escapes  almost  unscathed, 
but  as  regards  the  horses  and  cattle. 

The  tsetse  is  found  chiefly  in  the  bush,  or  amongst  the  reeds  , 
but  rarely  in  the  open  country.  It  is  confined  to  particular 
spots,  and  is  never  known  to  shift  its  haunts.  Thus,  cattle  may 
be  seen  grazing  securely  on  one  side  of  a river,  whilst  the  op- 
posite bank  swarms  with  the  insect.  Should  the  natives,  who 
are  well  acquainted  with  localities  frequented  by  the  fly,  have 
occasion  to  change  their  cattle-posts,  and  are  obliged  to  pass 
through  tracts  of  country  where  it  exists,  they  choose,  I am 
told,  a moonlight  winter’s  night ; as,  during  the  hours  of  rest  in 
the  cold  season,  it  does  not  bite. 

In  size  the  tsetse  is  somewhat  less  than  the  common  blue  fly 
that  settles  on  meat ; but  it  wings  are  longer.  Yet,  though  so 
small  and  insignificant  in  appearance,  its  bite  carries  with  it  a 
poison  equal  to  that  of  the  most  deadly  reptile.  Many  is  the 
traveler  who,  from  his  draught-oxen  and  horses  having  been  de 

1 For  a scientific  description  of  this  insect,  see  “ Proceedings  of  the  Zoological 
Society,”  No.  ccxvii. 


3 J TSETSE  FL  Y F ATAL  TO  DOMESTIC  ANIMALS. 


stroked  by  this  pestiferous  insect,  has  not  only  had  the  object 
of  h s journey  completely  marred,  but  his  personal  safety  endan 
gere  1 by  the  loss  of  this  means  of  conveyance. 


TSETSE  FLY. 


Very  tely,.  indeed,  a party  of  Griquas,  about  twenty  in 
number,  w to  were  elephant-hunting  to  the  northwest  of  the 
Nganii,  ana  who  were  provided  with  three  wagons  and  a large 
number  of  trek,  or  draught-oxen,  lost,  prior  to  their  return 
to  the  Lake  all  their  cattle  by  the  bite  of  the  tsetse.  Some 
horses,  broug  t with  them  to  further  their  sport,  shared  a similar 
fate. 

The  very  sa,  le  year  that  this  disaster  happened  to  the  Gri- 
quas, a party  of  Englishmen,  amongst  whom  was  my  friend, 
Mr.  Frederick  G ~een,  attempted  to  reach  Libebe  ; but  they  had 
only  proceeded  seven  or  eight  days’ journey  to  the  north  of  the 
Ngami,  when  both  horses  and  cattle  were  bitten  by  the  fly  in 
question,  and  the  party  were,  in  consequence,  compelled  to 
make  a hasty  retreat.  One  of  the  number,  I am  told,  was  thus 
deprived  of  as  many  as  thirty-six  horses,  excellent  hunters,  and 
all  sustained  heavy  losses  in  cattle. 

There  are  large  tribes  which  cannot  keep  either  cattle  or 
sheep  because  the  tsetse  abounds  in  their  country.  But  it  is 
only  fatal  to  domestic  animals,  as  wild  animals  feed  undisturbed 
in  parts  infested  by  the  insect.  Yet  many  of  them,  such  as  oxen 
and  buffaloes,  horses  aul  zebras,  dogs  and  jackals,  etc.,  possess 
somewhat  the  same  nature.  Moreover,  it  bites  man,  and  no 
danger  follows.  The  sen  nation  experienced  has  not  inaptly  been 
’ikened  to  the  sting  of  i flea.1  , The  problem  to  be  solved  is, 

’ When  allowed  to  settle  on  tin  hand  of  a man,  all  it  is  observed  to  do  is  to  in- 
sert its  proboscis  a little  furthei  ban  seems  necessary  to  draw  blooc  It  then 


SYMI'TOMS  IN  THE  OX  WHEN  BITTEN. 


39] 


what  quality  exists  in  domestication  which  renders  domestic  ani- 
mals obnoxious  to  this  poison  ? “ Is  man  not  as  much  a domestic 
animal  as  a dog?  Is  it  the  tsetse  at  all  which  kills  the  animal?” 

Captain  Yardon,  of  the  Indian  army,  one  of  the  earlier  pioneers 
of  the  more  interior  parts  of  Southern  Africa,  was  amongst  the 
first  to  decide  the  point ; for  he  rode  his  horse  up  a hill  infested 
by  tsetse,  and  in  twenty  days  his  doubts  were  removed  by  the 
death  ol  his  horse. 

According  to  the  statement  of  the  celebrated  explorers, 
Messrs.  Oswell  and  Livingstone,  who  were' severe  sufferers  by  the 
tsetse,  the  following  symptoms  are  observed  in  the  ox  when 
bitten  : — the  eye  runs,  the  glands  under  the  throat  swell,  the 
coat  loses  its  gloss,  there  is  a peculiar  flaccidity  of  the  muscles 
generally,  and  emaciation  commences,  which  proceeds  unchecked 
until — perhaps  months  after  the  bite — purging  supervenes,  and 
the  animal  perishes  of  exhaustion.  Some  die  soon  after  the 
bite  is  inflicted,  especially  if  they  are  in  good  condition,  or 
should  rain  fall ; but,  in  general,  the  process  of  emaciation  goes 
on  for  many  weeks.  In  some  cases,  the  animals  become  blind 
before  they  die.1 

“From  what'I  have  seen  of  the  tsetse,”  writes  Mr.  Oswell 
to  me,  “I  believe  that  three  or  four  flies  are  sufficient  to  kill  a 
full-grown  ox.  We  examined  about  twenty  of  ours  that  were 
bitten  and  died,  and  the  appearances  were  similar  in  all.  On 
raising  the  skin,  we  perceived  a glairy  appearance  of  the  muscles 
and  flesh,  which  were  much  wasted.  The  stomach  and  intes- 
tines were  healthy;  heart,  lungs,  and  liver,  sometimes  all,  but 
invariably  one  or  the  other,  much  diseased.  The  heart  in 
particular  attracted  our  attention.  It  was  no  longer  a firm 
and  muscular  organ,  but  collapsed  readily  on  compression,  and 
had  the  appearance  of  flesh  that  had  been  steeped  in  water. 
The  blood  of  the  whole  carcass  was  greatly  diminished  in  quan- 
tity. Not  more  than  twenty  pints  (a  small  pail  full)  were 
obtained  from  the  largest  ox,  and  this  thick  and  albuminous  ; 
the  hands,  when  plunged  into  it,  came  out  free  of  stain.  The 
poison  would  seem  to  grow  in  the  blood,  and,  through  thebluod, 
affect  the  vital  organs. 

oartially  withdraws  the  dart,  which  assumes  a crimson  hue.  The  mandibles  now 
appear  to  be  agitated  ; the  shrunken  body  swells  ; and,  in  a few  seconds,  the  in- 
sect becomes  quite  full,  and  quietly  abandons  its  prey. 

One  of  my  steeds,"  says  Gordon  Cumming,  “ died  of  the  tsetse.  The  head 
and  body  of  the  poor  animal  swelled  up  in  a most  distressing  manner  before  he 
died  ; his  eyes  were  so  swollen  that  he  could  not  see ; and,  in  darkness,  he  neighed 
for  his  comrades  who  stood  feeding  beside  him." 


392 


FATAL  TO  DOGS. 


“A  curious  feature  in  the  case  is,  that  dogs,  though  reared  on 
milk,  die  if  bitten,1  while  calves,  and  other  young  sucking  ani- 
mals, are  safe  as  long  as  they  suck.  Man,  and  all  the  wild  ani- 
mals, escape  with  impunity.  Can  the  poison  be  alkaline,  and 
neutralized  by  the  acid  ?” 

1 A dog,  reared  on  the  meat  of  game,  may  be  hunted  in  tsetse  districts  ir 
safety ! 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


THE  CROCODILE AN  ENGLISHMAN  KILLED  BY  ONE  OF  THESE  MONSTERS 

THE  OMOROANGA  VAVARRA  RIVER HARDSHIPS BEAUTIFUL  SCENERY— 

LECHOLETEBE’S  TREACHERY THE  REED-FERRY. 

As  we  journeyed  up  the  Teoge,  we  frequently  observed  cro- 
codiles, basking  in  the  sun  in  the  more  secluded  parts  of  the 
river.  One  day,  whilst  trying  to  trace  a wounded  antelope,  I 
nearly  trod  on  one  of  these  monsters  who  was  fast  asleep.  My 
foot  was  already  descending  on  his  tail  before  I was  aware  of 
him.  Without  daring  to  move,  I gently  raised  the  rifle  to  my 
shoulder,  and,  with  a well-directed  ball  behind  the  ear,  killed 
him  on  the  spot. 

One  does  not  often  hear  of  crocodiles  in  these  parts  seizing  on 
human  beings  when  immersed  in  water,  which  would  seem  to 
prove  that  these  animals  are  “man-eaters”  from  the  compul- 
sion of  hunger,  rather  than  from  habit.  Indeed,  I have  been 
assured  by  several  persons  that  there  is  little  danger  of  being- 
attacked,  provided  one  makes  a great  noise  previously  to  enter- 
ing the  water.  Accidents,  however,  do  occur.  Only  a few 

years  ago  an  English  gentleman,  Mr.  R , was  carried  off  by 

one  of  these  horrid  creatures.  He  and  his  companion,  Mr 

M , who  told  me  the  sad  story,  had  encamped  on  the  banks 

of  the  Zouga  ; and,  as  a number  of  water-fowl  were  seen  dis- 
porting themselves  on  the  stream,  Mr.  R proceeded  there, 

in  the  hope  of  obtaining  a shot.-  He  soon  succeeded  in  killing 
several,  and  amongst  the  rest  a muscovy  duck  ; but  he  was 
unable  to  secure  it  for  want  of  a boat. 

Whilst  looking  about  for  a canoe,  he  observed  a fine  antelope 
approaching;  and,  running  quickly  towards  the  wagon,  winch 


394  THE  CROCODILE THE  OMOROANGA  NAVARRA. 


was  hard  by,  he  called  out  to  his  men  to  bring  him  a rifle.  Ob 
his  return  to  the  river,  he  found  that  the  antelope  had  escaped. 
He  then  proceeded  towards  the  spot  whence  he  had  shot  at  the 
duck,  which  was  still  floating  on  the  surface.  His  companion 
having  by  this  time  joined  him,  he  expressed  his  determination 
to -possess  the  bird  at  any  cost,  and  that  lie  would  swim  after  it. 
He  confessed,  however,  that  he  felt  some  doubt,  about  the  safety 
of  such  a proceeding,  adding  that  he  had  once  been  witness  to 
the  death  of  a man  who  was  seized  and  destroyed  by  a shark 
alongside  his  own  boat.  Notwithstanding  this  (his  own)  opin- 
ion of  the  risk  he  was  about  to  incur,  and  the  warning  of  his 
friend,  he  undressed  and  plunged  into  the  stream.  Having 
swam  a little  distance,  he  was  observed  to  throw  himself  on  his 
back,  as  if  startled  at  some  object  beneath  him  ; but  in  another 
moment,  he  was  pursuing  his  course.  When,  however,  he  was 
about  to  lay  his  hands  on  the  bird,  his  body  was  violently  con- 
vulsed ; and  throwing  his  arms  on  high,  he  uttered  a most 
piercing  shriek,  after  which  he  was  seen  to  be  gradually  drawn 
under  the  surface,  never  to  reappear! 

On  the  ninth  day  after  we  had  entered  the  Teoge,  we  left  the 
principal  channel  and  passed  into  the  Omoroanga  (little  river) 
Vavarra.  This  rivulet  is  merely  one  of  those  small  branches  of 
the  main  stream  (formed  by  its  overflowing  its  banks)  so  fre- 
quently met  with,  and  which  usually  rejoin  it  after  a day  or 
two.  The  Omoroanga  Vavarra  is  only  navigable  with  causes 
when  the  Teoge  is  at  its  greatest  height,  and  even  then  the 
navigation  is  of  the  most  intricate  description.  The  boatmen,' 
many  of  whom  were  born  and  bred  in  the.  neighborhood,  con- 
stantly lose  their  way.  We  passed  two  nights  on  the  Omo- 
roanga, during  which  time  we  were  exposed  to  much  incon- 
venience and  hardship. 

Lecholetebe  had  placed  two  canoes  at  my  disposal  ; but  the 
rascally  boatmen  had  by  this  time  so  filled  them  with  their  own 
things  that  no  place  was  left  for  me.  The  consequence  was,  as 
the  country  was  one  succession  of  swamps,  lakes,  rivulets,  and 
quagmires,  I found  myself  early  and  late  immersed  in  water, 
sometimes  swimming,  at  others  wading  up  to  my  neck.  Indeed, 
from  the  time  that  I left  my  camp  on  the  Zouga,  to  my  return 
to  it,  a period  of  about  a month,  I scarcely  knew  what  it  was 
to  have  a dry  thread  about  me.  The  only  time  I could  par- 
tially dry  my  clothes  was  at  night  along  the  bivouac-fire;  but 
then  I had  to  lie  down  wet.  It  wo,,IJ  have  been  ruinous  to  any 
constitution  nor,  previously  inured  to  hardships  of  all  kinds. 

But  I was  compensated  for  what  I lost  in  comfort  by  the 


THE  AUTHOR’S  PLANS  MARRED. 


895 


beauty  of  the  surrounding  scenery.  Wherever  the  soil  was 
raised  a few  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  it  was  covered 
by  a rich  and  majestic  vegetation. 

At  length,  and  after  about  twelve  days’  voyaging,  we  reached 
a large  village  where  the  great  chief  of  the  Bayeye  resided. 
This  was  a charming  spot,  and  one  to  which  the  most  skillful 
artist  would  have  had  some  difficulty  in  doing  justice.  Located 
on  a small  island,  about  two  hundred  feet  long,  by  one  hundred 
in  breadth,  the  village  consisted  of  somewhat  more  than  a 
hundred  houses,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a beautiful  group  of 
elegant  fan-palms,  and  some  gigantic  wild  fruit  trees.  At  the 
foot  of  the  werft,  in  a semicircle,  the  clear  transparent  Teoge 
wound  its  meandering  course.  On  every  side,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  lay  stretched  a sea  of  fresh  water,  in  many  places 
concealed  from  sight  by  a covering  of  reeds  and  rushes  of  every 
shade  and  hue;  whilst  numerous  islands,  spread  over  its  surface, 
and  adorned  with  rich  vegetation,  gave  to  the  whole  an  inde- 
scribably beautiful  appearance.  This  was  particularly  the  case 
at  sunrise  and  sunset,  when  the  luxuriant  vegetation  received 
additional  charms  by  the  brilliant,  but  softened,  rays  of  a tro- 
pical sun. 

I had  been  given  to  understand  by  Lecholetebe,  that  the  chief, 
at  whose  werft  I had  now  arrived,  was  to  have  provided  me 
with  other  men  and  other  boats.  To  save  time,  as  also  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  men’s  own  wishes,  I sent  my  principal  guide 
and  others  to  inform  the  chieftain  of  my  coming,  requesting  him 
to  get  everything  ready;  but  on  reaching  the  place,  the  follow- 
ing day,  I found,  to  my  utter  astonishment,  that  he,  witn  all  his 
people,  had  set  out  that  very  morning  to  hunt  the  sea-cow;  and 
no  one  could,  or  rather  would,  inform  me  when  tlie  great  man 
was  likely  to  return. 

It  now  occurred  to  me  that  I was  deceived,  and  my  suspi- 
cions at  once  fell  upon  Lecholetebe.  Still  hoping  I might  be 
mistaken,  I waited  patiently  for  several  days,  but  to  no  purpose 
In  the  meantime,  the  women  of  the  village  had  secretly  inform 
ed  Timbo,  who,  as  usual,  was  a great  favorite  with  the  sex, 
that  their  husbands  would  to  a certainty  not  return  for  a month  ; 
and  that,  even  then,  I could  not  expect  to  receive  any  as- 
sistance from  them.  I felt  excessively  mortified  at  being  tteus 
basely  duped,  and  at  once  called  on  the  only  man  loll  in  the 
place,  who,  I was  informed,  was  the  chief’s  brother,  and  order- 
ed him  to  tell  me,  without,  prevarication,  the  real  state  of  the 
case.  As  1 bad  suspected,  Lecholetebe  was  at  the  bottom  of 
the  affair.  The  man  declared  he  had  no  orders  to  furnish  me 


3% 


THE  RBED-FEKEI, 


with  men  and  boats,  but  that,  if  I insisted  on  proceeding,  he 
was  to  give  a guide  to  the  next  tribe,  whence  I was  to  find  my 
way  to  Libebe  as  well  as  I could,  well  knowing  that  such  an 
arrangement  was  quite  incompatible  with  my  designs. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  my  feelings  at  being  thus  baffled; 
as,  from  the  success  that  had  hitherto  attended  me,  I had  san- 
guinely  hoped  it  would  have  been  in  my  power  fully  to  carry 
out  all  my  plans.  Here  I was,  in  the  midst  of  an  inundated 
country  of  unknown  extent,  without  men,  without  conveyances 
without  provisions — in  short,  without  anything  necessary  for 
such  an  expedition.  Indeed,  I was  so  completely  at  the  mercy 
of  the  natives,  that  I could  not  stir  a step  without  their  as- 
sistance. Nevertheless,  rather  than  be  thus  foiled,  I determined 
to  risk  the  utmost,  and  directed  the  promised  guide  to  appear 
without  delay,  declaring  my  intention  of  proceeding  to  Libebe 
on  foot.  But  it  was  quite  clear  they  had  resolved  not  to  let  me 
pass  beyond  them;  for,  though  I waited  several  days  more,  the 
man  was  not  forthcoming. 


REED-FERRY.  I 


Finding  remonstrances  unavailing,  I had  no  alternative  but 
tb- retrace  my  steps;  and,  accordingly,  I requested  the  tempo 

1 The  above  wood-cut  represents  a native  in  the  act  of  ferrying  himself  across  the 
river  on  nothing  but  a bundle  of  reeds,  with  sidings  and  uprights  of  the  same  light 
materials.  It  is  a most  ingenious  contrivance,  and,  in  localities  where  wood  ifi 
scarce,  answers  the  pnroose  admirably. 


THK  AUTHOR  RETRACES  HIS  STEPS. 


397 


rary  chief  to  prepare  the  canoes  to  convey  me  back  to  the  Lake. 
This  highly  delighted  and  gratified  the  wily  savage. 

Mortified  and  annoyed  at  the  shameful  manner  in  which  I had 
been  treated,  I was,  nevertheless,  glad  to  have  come  thus  far. 
I had  learnt  much  in  this  short  time  (a  summary  of  which  will 
be  given  in  the  following  chapters),  which  I could  not  have 
done  had  I remained  at  the  Lake,  to  say  nothing  of  the  beau- 
tiful, diversified,  and  novel  scenery  which  almost  daily  present- 
ed itself  to  the  view — which  alone  was  a sufficient  reward  foi 
sny  troubles  and  anxieties. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE  BAYEYE THEIR  COUNTRY  ; PERSONS  ; LANGUAGE  ; DISPOSITION  ; LYING  jl 

AND  PILFERING  HABITS POLYGAMY  PRACTICED  AMONGST  THE  BAYEYE 

THEIR  HOUSES ; DRESS  ; ORNAMENTS  ; WEAPONS  ; LIQUORS ; AGRICUL- 
TURE ; GRAIN  ; FRUITS  ; GRANARIES HUNTING FISHING NETS-  -DISEASES 

THE  MATSANYANA THE  BAVICKO LIBEBE. 

For  a considerable  distance  to  the  northward  of  the  chiefs 
werft,  the  hanks  of  the  Teoge  are  inhabited  by  Bayeye,  and  a 
few  scattered  bushmen,  all  acknowledging  Lecholetebe  as  theii 
chief.  Cooley  supposes  that  these  people  came  originally  from  1 
the  west  coast,  and  that  they  have  been  established  in  their 
present  abode  for  a long  period.  Formerly,  and  before  their 
subjugation  by  the  Bechuanas,  they  must  have  possessed  a large 
territory  ; and,  even  now,  the  country  they  occupy  is  of  consid- 
erable extent,  consisting,  as  I believe,  of  one  continued  plain, 
intersected  by  rivers,  with  extensive  marshes.  The  banks  of 
the  rivers  are,  in  general,  very  low  ; but  wherever  they  rise  a 
few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water,  they  are  shaded  by  a rank 
and  wild  vegetation.  The  trees  are  of  a gigantic  size,  having 
their  stems  and  branches  interwoven  with  beautiful  parasitical 
plants  and  creepers. 

In  person,  feature,  and  complexion,  the  Bayeye  appear  closely 
allied  to  the  Ovambo  and  the  Hill-Damaras. 

The  language  of  the  Bayeye  bears  considerable  resemblance  to 
tlm  Ovaherero ; and  has,  moreover,  some  affinity  with  the  dia- 
lects of  the  east  coast,  though  two  or  three  “ klicks”  would  seem 
to  indicate  a Hottentot  origin.1 

1 As  perhaps  many  of  my  readers  are  interested  in  philology,  I may  mention 
that  in  the  “ Geographical  Journal”  of  this  year  J have  introduced  a short  vocabu- 


THE  BA  YE  YE THIEVING  PROPENSITIES.  399 


The  Bayeye  are  of  a merry  and  cheerful  disposition,  and,  like 
my  friends,  the  Damaras,  are  the  happiest  of  creatures,  pro-’ 
vided  they  have  a pot  full  of  flesh  and  a pipe.  These  elements 
of  human  felicity  are  not,  however,  peculiar  to  savages,  as  may 
be  seen  in  the  following  stanza  of  an  old  song,  often  chanted  by 
9ur  English  rustic  forefathers: 

“ What  more  can  any  mandesire, 

Nor  sitting  by  a good  coal  fire, 

And  on  his  knee  a pretty  wencli. 

And  on  the  table  a bowl  of  punch  ?'* 

In  one  respect  the  English  clown  has  an  advantage  over  the 
barbarian  of  South  Africa,  inasmuch  as  the  latter  does  not 
appear  to  make  any  stipulation  in  favor  of  a female  companion. 

The  Bayeye  are  much  given  to  lying  and  pilfering,  and  are 
as  suspicious  as  they  are  deceitful.  As  an  instance  of  their 
thievish  propensities,  I may  mention  that,  when  ascending  the 
Teoge,  they  deprived  me  gradually  of  almost  the  entire  stock  of 
articles  of  exchange,  consisting  chiefly  of  beads.  These  things' 
constituted  my  only  money,  and  being  well  aware  that  without 
it  I should  not  be  able  to  get  on,  I determined  to  recover  my 
property  at  all  hazards.  But,  before  proceeding  to  extremes,  I 
was  anxious  to  acquire  positive  proofs  of  the  guilt  of  my  treach- 
erous companions.  Accordingly,  I ordered  my  own  men  to 
mark  carefully  the  different  parcels.  As  soon  as  the  canoes 
arrived  at  night  at  the  appointed  rendezvous  (we  ourselves,  as  I 
have  mentioned,  were  walking)  we  hastened  to  the  shore,  and, 
whilst  Timbo  was  ransacking  the  baggage,  I stationed  myself  at 
the  head  of  the  canoe  in  order  to  prevent  the  crew  from  landing 
until  we  had  ascertained  if  any  pilfering  had  taken  place  during 
our  absence. 

Scarcely  had  my  servant  opened  the  first  pack,  before  he  ex- 
claimed, “ Oh,  yes,  master,  the  rascals  have  been  there  sure 
enough  !”  Immediately  stepping  up  to  the  native  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  canoe,  I presented  my  gun,  on  cock,  at  his  head, 

lary  of  the  Bayeye  language.  The  words,  though  necessarily  few  in  number, 
have  been  selected  with  a view  to  their  utility,  and  consist  chiefly  of  those  de- 
noting family  relations,  names  of  the  different  parts  of  the  body,  familiar  objects,  nu- 
merals, etc.  I have  at  the  same  time  given  the  corresponding  terms  in  the  Otjihe- 
rero  (Damara)  and  the  Chjlimanse  (a  tribe  inhabiting  the  country  west  of  the  Por- 
tuguese settlement  on  the  east  coast),  to  show  the  striking  analogy  existing  be- 
tween these  languages.  The  nations  here  mentioned  occupy  a narrow  strip  of  ter- 
ritory extending  obliquely  across  the  continent,  from  the  west  coast  almost  to  that 
of  the  east. 


<±uO 


POLYGAMY. 


threatening  to  blow  out  his  brains  if  he  clid  not  instantly  pm 
duce  the  stolen  goods.  A scene  of  the  utmost  confusion  now 
took  place.  The  men  at  first  appeared  inclined  to  be  hostile, 
many  seizing  their  arms,  whilst  the  women  were  running  to  and 
fro,  crying  and  howling  in  a manner  which  baffles  all  descrip- 
tion. However,  I was  determined,  come  what  would,  to  have 
my  property  back,  and  I quietly  told  them  that  their  menaces 
should  be  of  no  avail  ; for  the  first  individual  who  attempted  to 
molest  me  would,  to  a certainty,  be  a dead  man.  And,  to  give 
effect  to  my  threat,  I added,  with  a significant  look  at  the  gun, 
that  they  well  knew  I was  not  much  in  the  habit  of  missing  my 
mark.  Conceiving  that  I was  in  earnest,  they  thought  better 
of  the  matter,  and  in  a few  seconds  I had  half  a dozen  of  them 
at  my  feet,  begging  I would  spare  their  lives,  and  promising 
that,  if  I would  not  mention  the  circumstance  to  their  paramount 
chief,  Lecholetebe,  they  would,  forthwith,  restore  the  missing 
articles. 

Being  but  too  glad  to  recover  my  property  on  such  easj 
terms,  I declared  myself  satisfied,  warning  them,  however,  of 
the  consequences  of  any  future  attempt  on  their  part  to  steal, 
as  I should  certainly  not  again  trouble  myself  about  inquiring  who 
was  the  thief,  but  would  simply  shoot  the  first  man  I came 
across.  This  had  the  desired  effect;  for  they  not  only  left  my 
property  untouched  for  the  future,  but  treated  me  with  far  more 
civility  than  they  had  hitherto  manifested. 

The  men,  excepting  when  hunting  and  fishing,  in  which  pur- 
suits they  show  great  activity,  usually  lead  a very  idle  life  at 
home.  All  the  drudgery  falls  on  the  women,  who  till  the 
ground,  reap,  and  afterwards  cleanse  and  grind  the  corn,  etc. 

Respecting  their  mythology  and  religion  I am  so  much  in  the 
dark,  that  it  would  not  be  worth  while  to  communicate  to  the 
reader  the  little  I know.  It  is  always  difficult  to  obtain  informa- 
tion on  these  subjects  from  savages;  and,  besides,  it  requires 
both  time  and  a knowledge  of  their  language.  This  applies 
also,  though  not  to  as  great  extent,  to  their  superstitious  no- 
tions, which  are  numerous,  and,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  often 
ridiculous. 

Polygamy  prevails  amongst  the  Bayeye,  and  one  not  unfre- 
quently  finds  the  more  wealthy  consoling  themselves  with  half 
a dozen  wives. 

They  live  in  large  round  huts  covered  with  matting  made  of 
rushes,  and  constructed  in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  the 
Namaquas. 

The  men  have  adopted,  as  in  many  other  things,  the  dress  of 


ORNAMENT  S A R M S O CCUPATIO  N P R O D U C T S . 403 

their  conquerors,  the  Bechuanas,  which  consists  simply  of  a 
piece  of  skin,  broad  in  front,  tied  round  the  waist,  with  a tassel 
attached  to  it  on  each  side  falling  down  over  the  hips;  and,  in 
addition  to  this,  they  wear  a skin,  or  light  caross,  which  they 
accommodate  to  the  body  according  to  the  state  of  the  weather. 

The  women  dress  very  much  like  those  of  the  Damaras,  viz., 
with  a short  skin  skirt,  which,  as  well  as  their  own  persons 
(when  they  can  afford  it)  is  profusely  bedecked  with  beads,  and 
various  brass,  copper,  and  iron  ornaments.  But  the  plate  facing 
this  page  will  give  a far  better  idea  of  the  appearance,  attire, 
etc.,  of  these  people,  than  can  be  conveyed  in  words. 

They  are  fond  of  the  dance,  which  is  a mimic  representation 
of  the  playful  sports  and  courtship's  of  the  different  wild  animals 
surrounding  them. 

The  only  weapons  in  use  amongst  the  Bay  eye  are  light  javelins, 
having,  sometimes,  two  or  three  barbs.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
elders  of  the  nation  carry  a shield,  nearly  oval  in  form,  made  of 
a single  fold  of  ox-hide  ; but  they  have  only  become  acquainted 
with  this  means  of  defense  since  they  were  subdued  b}r  the 
Bechuanas.  To  the  want  of  shields  they  entirely  attribute 
their  own  defeat. 

With  regard  to  their  habits,  customs,  manners,  etc.,  much  of 
what  has  already  been  said  of  the  Bechuanas  may  be  applied  to 
the  Bayeye — a natural  consequence  of  subjugation. 

Like  most  dark-colored  nations,  they  are  addicted  to  intoxi- 
cating liquors.  They  understand  how  to  brew  beer,  on  which 
they  frequently  become  inebriated. 

The  men  are  inveterate  snuff-takers,  and  the  women  “ dacka” 
smokers. 

In  former  times  the  Bayeye  possessed  numerous  herds  of  cat- 
lie;  but  these  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Bechuanas  upon 
Jieir  assuming  the  mastery  over  the  country.  They  are  per- 
mitted, however,  to  rear  a few  goats,  which  they  do  less  for  the 
sake  of  the  milk  and  flesh,  than  for  the  skins,  which  are  con- 
verted into  sleeping  rugs,  and  carosses  for  wear.  They  also 
keep  a few  barn-door  fowls,  but  apparently  of  a very  ordinary 
breed. 

They  derive  their  chief  subsistence  from  the  produce  of  the 
soil,  which  is  fertile,  yielding  the  necessaries  of  life  in  abundance, 
and  with  little  labor.  A month  or  two  before  the  rainy  sea- 
son, the  ground  for  cultivation  is  selected,  cleared  and  slightly 
worked  by  a small,  short  hoe,  the  only  agricultural  implement 
I have  seen  used  by  the  Bayeye  in  tilling.  After  the  first  hea  vy 
rains,  they  begin  to  sow  the  corn,  of  which  there  are  two  kinds 


A USEFUL  PLANT. 


404 

indigenous  to  the  country,  namely,  the  common  “ Caffre,”  and 
another  sort,  very  small-grained,  and  not  unlike  canary-seed — a 
description  which  is  akin,  as  I am  informed,  to  the  “badjera” 
of  India.  This  is  more  nutritious  than  the  other,  and,  when 
well  ground,  makes  excellent  flour.  Tobacco,  calabashes,  wa- 
ter-melons, pumpkins,  beans,  and  small  peas  are  also  grown,  as 
well  as  different  kinds  of  edible  earth-fruits,  of  which  the  oien- 
gora  (motu-o-hatsi,  of  the  Bechuanas,  I believe)  may  be  men- 
tioned in  particular.  This  is  a sort  of  bean,  having  its  pods 
under  ground.  It  is  well  known  to  the  Mosambiques;  is  exten- 
sively grown  by  the  black  population  in  Mauritius  ; and  is,  I am 
told,  no  uncommon  article  of  importation  at  the  Cape-of-Grood- 
Hope. 

Moreover,  the  country,  as  before  said,  produces  a variety  of 
wild  fruit-trees,  which  serve  no  less  to  beautify  the  scenery 
than  to  afford  good  and  wholesome  sustenance  to  the  inhabitants. 
Amongst  the  most  handsome  and  useful  trees,  the  moshoma 
stands,  perhaps,  preeminent.  On  account  of  the  great  height, 
the  straightness  of  the  trunk,  and  the  distance  at  which  it  be- 
gins to  branch  out,  the  fruit  can  only  be  gathered  when  it  falls 
to  the  ground.  It  is  then  exposed  to  the  sun  for  some  time, 
and,  when  sufficiently  dried,  is  put  into  a hollow  piece  of  wood 
(a  sort  of  mortar)  and  pulverized.  It  is  fit  for  use  at  any  time, 
by  simply  mixing  it  with  water,  when  it  is  not  unlike  honey  in 
appearance,  and  has  a sweet,  agreeable  flavor.  Strangers,  how- 
ever, must  use  it  cautiously  at  first  ; for,  if  eaten  in  any  large 
quantity,  it  is  apt  to  derange  the  stomach.  The  moshoma  in- 
variably grows  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  or  in  their  immediate 
neighborhood,  and  may,  with  the  greatest  facility,  be  conveyed 
down  the  Teoge  to  the  Lake.  The  Bayeye  use  the  timber  ex- 
tensively for  canoe-building,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  utensils. 
I found  the  moshoma  growing  in  Ovambo-land,  and  I am  also 
given  to  understand  that  it  is  common  throughout  the  countries 
west  of  the  Portuguese  settlements  on  the  east  coast. 

The  Bayeye  store  their  corn  and  other  products  of  the  soil,  in 
large  baskets,  not  unlike  those  of  the  Ovambo,  manufactured 
from  palm  leaves,  and  other  fibrous  and  tenacious  substances. 

The* Bayeye  are  fond  of  hunting  ; and,  as  the  country  abounds 
in  game,  the  spoils  of  the  chase  contribute  materially  to  the 
support  of  the  people.  'They  are,  moreover,  expert  fishermen. 
They  either  strike  the  fish  with  a barbed  spear,  or,  more  com- 
monly, capture  them  in  nets.  These  are  made  from  the  fibrous 
stalks  of  a species  of  aloe,  which  is  found  in  abundance  through- 
out the  countries  of  the  Namaquas,  Damaras,  the  Ovambo,  an** 


THE  MATSANYANA THE  BAVICKO LIBfeBfi.  405 

olliers  lying  to  the  eastward,  but  only  glows  to  perfection  about 
the  Teoge.  The  fibres  are  of  great  tenacity,  apparently  stronger 
and  more  flexible  than  hemp,  though  requiring  less  labor  and 
attention  in  its  growth  and  manufacture.  Could  this  plant  be 
naturalized,  it  would,  no  doubt,  prove  a valuable  acquisition  to 
any  country.  I believe  the  nets  are  also  occasionally  manufac- 
tured from  fibrous  and  tenacious  leaves,  rushes,  and  grasses.  The 
meshes  are  knotted  the  same  way  as  in  Europe. 

From  the  humid  nature  of  the  country,  the  Bayeye,  although 
generally  speaking,  a healthy  race,  suffer  at  times  from  rheuma 
tism,  and  other  similar  affections.  Ophthalmia  is  also  of  fre- 
quent occurrence;  and  many  of  the  natives  bear  marks  of  the 
small-pox.  Like  the  Lake  district,  the  Teoge  and  the  surround- 
ing country  is  visited  by  a dangerous  fever,  which  carries  off’ 
many  of  the  natives. 

North  of  the  Bayeye  country,  we  find  the  Matsanyana  ; but  I 
have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  whether  these  people  form  a 
distinct  nation. 

Still  further  north,  that  is,  beyond  the  Matsanyana,  we  hear 
of  the  Bavicko  (or  Wavicko)  nation,  whose  capital  is  called 
Libebe,  from  which  also  the  chief  derives  his  name.  The  Gri- 
quas,  whom  I mentioned  when  speaking  of  the  water-sheds  of 
the  Lake,  and  whom  I met  and  conversed  with  on  the  subject, 
say  that  the  country  about  Libebe  is  flat  and  thickly  overgrown 
with  bush,  occasionally  relieved  by  large  isolated  trees,  and  that 
the  Teoge  is  there  of  great  width  and  studded  with  beautiful 
islands,  on  which  the  natives  chiefly  dwell. 

The  Bavicko  are  represented  as  an  industrious  and  honest 
people,  of  agricultural  habits.  Their  mode  of  dress  resembles 
that  of  the  Moviza  (a  great  trading  nation  in  the  interior  of  the 
east  coast,  and  west  of  the  Portuguese  settlement).  Timbo, 
who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  appearance  of  the  Moviza,  on 
hearing  a description  of  the  Bavicko,  mistook  them  for  the 
former  nation.  The  latter  have  some  slight  knowledge  of  metal- 
lurgy.  Iron  they  procure  easily  and  in  abundance  from  their 
neighbors ; but,  from  all  I can  gather,  this  ore  does  not  seem  to 
be  indigenous  to  their  own  country. 

Libebe  appears  to  be  the  centre  of  a great  inland  trade. 
Amongst  other  tribes  that  repair  here  for  the  purpose  of  com- 
merce are  the  Mambari,  a race  probably  resident  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  new  Portuguese  settlement,  Little  Fish  Bay.  A strong 
argument  in  favor  of  this  supposition  is,  that  the  Griquas,  lately 
alluded  to,  and  who  found  a pi  rty  of  these  men  at  Libebe,  were 
informed  by  them  that  their  t\  ibe  was  visited  by  two  different 


iOG 


li  I B M B £ • 


white  nations : by  one  of  them — meaning  probably  the  Portu- 
guese— chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  slaves  ; by  the 
other,  most  likely  the  English  or  Americans,  to  obtain,  by 
barter,  ivory  and  other  valuable  productions  of  the  country.  The 
Mambari  bring  to  Libebe,  as  articles  of  exchange,  blue  and 
striped  cotton,  baize,  beads,  and  even  cattle. 

Again,  we  find  the  Ovapangari  and  Ovapanyama  also  visiting 
Libebe  for  trading  purposes.  These  nations,  as  before  men- 
tioned, occupy  the  country  north  of  Ovambo-land.  On  our 
visit  to  the  latter  in  1851  (Galton’s  expedition),  we  found  the 
tribes  above-named  likewise  trading  with  the  Ovambo.  Tho 
Bavicko  have,  moreover,  intercourse  with  Sebetoane,  Lecho- 
let4be,  and  others. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  THE  BAYEYE  WERFT THE  REED-RAFT THE  HIPPOPO- 
TAMUS  BEHEMOTH  OR  HIPPOPOTAMUS WHERE  FOUND — TWO  SPECIES 

DESCRIPTION  OF  HIPPOPOTAMUS APPEARANCE SIZE SWIMS  LIKE  A 

DUCK FOOD DESTRUCTIVE  PROPENSITIES  OF  THE  ANIMAL -DISPOSITION 

SAGACITY MEMORY GREGARIOUS  HABITS NOCTURNAL  HABITS DO- 
MESTICATION  FOOD FLESH HIDE IVORY MEDICINAL  VIRTUES. 

After  about  a week’s  stay  at  the  Bay  eye  werft,  I was  once 
more  launched  on  the  Teoge,  and  only  regretted  that  my  course 
did  not  lie  to  the  north  instead  of  to  the  south.  My  departure 
afforded  a fresh  proof  of  the  rascality  of  the  Bayeye.  As  pre- 
viously mentioned,  according  to  the  injunctions  of  Lecholetebe, 
I was  to  have  two  canoes  at  my  disposal ; but,  on  the  day  in 
question,  the  natives  unceremoniously  deposited  me  on  a raft 
composed  solely  of  reeds  ! When  I first  saw  the  unshapely 
mass,  I could  not  help  smiling;  and  it  was  not  until  I had  set 
my  people  the  example  that  they  ventured  to  embark. 

This  primitive  raft,  which  is  in  general  use  amongst  the 
Bayeye,  either  for  hunting  purposes  or  for  descending  the  Teoge 
and  other  rivers,  is  exceedingly  simple  in  its  construction.  All 
one  has  to  do  is  to  cut  the  reeds  (the  different  species  of  palmyra, 
from  their  buoyancy,  are  peculiarly  well  adapted  to  the  pur- 
pose) just  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  to  throw  them  in 
layers,  crosswise,  until  the  heap  is  of  sufficient  size  to / support 
the  party.  No  binding  of  any  kind  is  requisite ; but  fresh 
layers  of  reeds  must  occasionally  be  added  to  the  raft,  as,  from 
the  constant  pressure  at  the  top,  the  reeds  get  soaked,  and  the 
air  contained  in  them  displaced  by  water.  A stout  pole  is 
placed  upright  in  the  centre  of  the  mass,  to  which  is  attached  a 


408 


THE  REED-RAF  T B E H E M O T H . 


strong  and  long  rope.  When  the  voyagers  wish  to  land,  thia 
rope  is  taken  ashore  by  one  of  the  men  in  the  canoe  that  is 
always  in  tow  or  on  board  the  raft,  and  secured  to  a tree  or 
other  firm  object. 

No  small  recommendation  to  the  reed-raft,  is  the  extreme 
facility  and  ease  with  which  it  can  be  constructed.  In  the 
course  of  an  hour,  three  or  four  men  can  put  one  together  of 
■sufficiently  large  dimensions  to  support  themselves  and  bag- 
gage.. 

This  mode  of  conveyance,  though  inconvenient  enough,  is  well 
worthy  the  traveler’s  attention,  and  more  especially  in  localities 
where  suitable  wood  for  the  construction  of  a common  raft  is 
difficult  to  procure — anywhere,  in  short,  where  boats  or  canoes 
are  not  obtainable.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that 
the  reed-raft  is  only  available  where  the  current  is  in  one’s 
favor. 

Though  I was  at  first  much  disconcerted  at  the  appearance 
of  our  very  primitive  looking  craft,  I soon  got  accustomed  to  it, 
and  it  proved  far  more  comfortable  than  might  have  been  sup- 
posed. It  was  much  safer,  moreover,  than  our  own  canoes,  one 
or  two  of  which  we  obtained  shortly  after  our  departure.  No 
efforts  were  made  to  steer  or  propel  the  raft,  which  was  left  en- 
tirely to  the  stream.  As  soon  as  we  were  caught  by  some 
projecting  reed-bed — and  this  was  of  frequent  occurrence — the  |; 
raft  immediately  swung  round  and  thus  disengaged  itself,  but 
when  we  came  in  contact  with  trees  overhanging  the  river,  we 
were  more  inconvenienced  ; for,  before  we  could  get  clear  of 
them,  ourselves  and  baggage  were  at  times  nearly  swept  into  the  ! 
water.  In  this  manner,  nevertheless,  and  without  serious  acci- 
dent, we  accomplished  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  || 
nine  days,-  entirely  by  the  force  of  the  current,  which  rarely  ex- 
ceeded two  miles  an  hour. 

Whilst  descending  the  Teoge,  we  met  several  parties  of 
natives  in  pursuit  of  the  hippopotamus ; the  men  were  em- 
barked on  rafts  similarly  constructed  as  our  own.  But  before 
describing  the  manner  in  which  the  chase  is  conducted  by  these 
people,  it  may  be  proper  to  say  a few  words  regarding  the 
natural  history  of  the  above  animal. 

“ Behold  now  behemoth  which  I made  with  thee  ; he  eateth 
grass  as  an  ox  ; his  bones  are  as  strong  pieces  of  brass  ; his 
bones  are  like  bars  of  iron  : he  lieth  under  the  shady  trees,  in 
the  covert  of  the  reed  and  fens.  The  shady  trees  cover  him 
with  their  shadow:  the  willows  of  the  brook  compass  him 
about.  Behold  he  drinketh  up  a river  ; he  trusteth  that  he  can 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS.  409 


draw  up  Jordan  into  his  mouth.  Hetaketh  it  with  his  eyes  ; his 
nose  pierceth  through  snares.” 

The  above  grand  and  figurative  language  of  the  book  of  Job, 
seems  particularly  applicable  to  the  hippopotamus,  whom  most 
people  believe  to  be  identical  with  the  behemoth  of  the  sacred 
writer.  Indeed,  in  his  “ Svstema  Naturae,”  Linnaeus  ends  his 
description  of  the  hippopotamus  with  calling  it  the  “ Behemoth. 
Job 

The  hippopotamus  is  generally  distributed  in  the  large  rivers 
and  lakes  of  Africa,  from  the  confines  of  the  Cape  Colony  to 
about  the  22nd  or  23rd  degree  of  north  latitude.  It  is  found  in 
none  of  the  African  rivers  that  fall  into  the  Mediterranean,  ex- 
cept the  Nile,  and  in  that  part  of  it  only  which  runs  through 
Upper  Egypt,  or  in  the  fens  and  lakes  of  Ethiopia.  It  is,  how- 
ever, receding  fast  before  civilization.  It  inhabits  both  fresh 
and  salt  water. 

Formerly,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe,  it  existed  in  parts 
of  Asia  ; but  the  species  is  now  extinct  on  that  continent. 

There  are  said  to  be  two  species  of  hippopotami  in  Africa, 
namely,  the  hippopotamus  amphibius,  and  the  hippopotamus  Liberi- 
ensis — the  latter  being  described  as  very  much  the  smaller  of 
the  two  ; but,  to  the  best  of  my  belief,  i never  fell  in  with  it. 

The  hippopotamus  is  a most  singular-looking  animal,  and  has 
not  inaptly  been  likened  to  a “ form  intermediate  between  an 
overgrown  hog  and  a high-fed  bull  without  horns  and  with 
cropped  ears.”  It  has  an  immensely  large  head.  Ray  says  the 
upper  mandible  is  movable,  as  with  the  crocodile.  Each  of 
its  jaws  are  armed  with  two  formidable  tusks  ; those  in  the 
lower,  which  are  always  the  largest,  attain,  at  times,  two  feet 
in  length.  The  inside  of  the  mouth  has  been  described  by  a 
recent  writer  as  resembling  “ a mass  of  butcher’s  meat.”  The 
eyes — which  Captain  Harris  likens  “ to  the  garret  windows  of  a 
Dutch  cottage” — the  nostrils  and  ears,  are  all  placed  nearly  on  the 
same  plane,  which  allows  the  use  of  three  senses,  and  of  respira- 
tion, with  a very  small  portion  of  the  animal  being  exposed 
when  it  rises  to  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  size  of  its  body 
is  not  much  inferior  to  that  of  the  elephant;  but  its  legs  are 
much  shorter — so  low,  indeed,  is  the  animal  at  times  in  the 
body,  that  the  belly  almost  touches  the  ground.  The  hoofs  ace 
divided  into  four  parts,  unconnected  by  membranes.  The  skin, 
which  is  of  nearly  an  inch  in  thickness,  is  destitute  of  covering, 
excepting  a few  scattered  hairs  on  the  muzzle,  edges  of  the  ears 
and  tail.  The  color  of  the  animal,  when  on  land,  is  of  a purple 
brown;  but  when  seen  at  the  bottom  of  a pool,  it  appears  ai- 


410 


APPEARANC  E S I Z E A C T I V I T Y . 


together  different — viz.,  of  a dark  blue,  or,  as  Dr.  Burchell 
describes  it,  of  a light  hue  of  Indian  ink. 

When  the  hippopotamus  is  enraged,  its  appearance  is  most 
forbidding  and  appalling,  and  I am  not  surprised  to  hear  of 
people  losing  their  presence  of  mind  on  being  suddenly  brought 
into  contact  with  the  monster,  whose  horrible  jaws,  when  fully 
distended,  afford  ample  accommodation  for  a man.1 

The  size  of  the  II.  amphibius  is  enormous.  The  adult  male 
attains  a length  of  eleven  or  twelve  feet,  the  circumference  of 
its  body  being  nearly  the  same.  Its  height,  however,  seldom 
much  exceeds  four-and-a-half  feet.  The  female  is  a good  deal 
smaller  than  the  male,  but  in  general  appearance  the  sexes  are 
nearly  alike. 

The  following  dimensions  of  the  female  hippopotamus  at  the 
Zoological  Gardens,  Regent’s  Park,  may  enable  those  who  are 
curious  in  the  matter  to  form  some  notion  of  the  progressive 
growth  of  the  animal — at  least,  in  a state  of  confinement — 
when  young: — 


On  its  arrival,  July  22,  1854. 
From  nose  to  tip  of  tail  . . 8ft.  4in. 

Circumference  of  body  . .71 

Height  at  shoulder  . . .35 


At  present,  Jan.,  1856. 
“ 10ft.  lin. 

“ 8 9 

“ 3 10 


The  hippopotamus,  when  in  the  water — I won’t  say  its 
“ native  element,”  for  it  seems  to  belong  as  much  to  the  land 
as  the  deeps — swims  and  dives  like  a duck,  and,  considering  its 
great  bulk  and  unwieldiness  of  form,  in  a manner  perfectly 
astonishing.  When  on  terra Jirma,  however,  what  with  its  dumpy 
legs  and  the  weight  they  have  to  support,  its  progress  is  any 
thing  but  rapid. 

“ The  hippopotamus,  amidst  the  flood 
Flexile  and  active  as  the  smallest  swimmer, 

But  on  the  bank  ill-balanced  and  infirm.’’  , 


Even  were  the  beast  to  charge — provided  the  locality  was 
tolerably  open — a man  would  have  no  great  difficulty  in  getting 
out  of  its  way.  It  is  seldom  met  with  at  any  considerable  dis- 
tance from  water,  for  which  it  instantly  makes  when  disturbed. 

The  hippopotamus  is  an  herbaceous  animal.  Its  chief  food,  in 


1 In  an  old  painting  at  Hampton  Court,  representing  the  Last  Judgment,  the 
mouth  of  the  hippopotamus  is  said  to  be  figured  as  the  entrance  of  the  place  of 
the  wicked.” 


DISPOSITIO  N F EARLESS  NESS. 


411 


the  selection  of  which  it  appears  rather  nice,  consists  of  grass, 
young  reeds,  and  bulbous  succulent  roots. 

When  the  hippopotamus  is  located  near  cultivated  districts, 
it  is  very  destructive  to  plantations  of  rice  and  grain.  Mr 
Meliv,  in  his  description  of  the  Blue  and  White  Nile,  informs 
us  that  the  inhabitants  of  a certain  island  found  themselves  so 
plagued  by  these  animals,  that  they  were  obliged  to  apply  for 
troops  to  drive  them  away,  which  was  responded  to  by  a hun- 
dred soldiers  being  dispatched  in  pursuit  of  the  marauders.  Mr. 
Burckiiardt,  again,  in  his  travels  in  Nubia,  tells  us  that  in 
Dongola,  the  “ barnick”  (the  Arabic  name  for  hippopotamus) 
is  a dreadful  torment,  on  account  of  its  voracity,  and  the  want 
of  means,  on  the  part  of  the  natives,  to  destroy  it.  During  the 
day  it  remains  in  the  water,  but  comes  on  shore  at  night,  destroy- 

Iing  as  much  by  the  treading  of  its  enormous  feet  as  by  its 
voracity. 

The  ravages  of  the  hippopotamus  would  appear  to  be  an  old 
grievance;  for  Sir  Gardener  Wilkinson,  when  speaking  of  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  says  : — “ Though  not  so  hostile  to  men  as  the 
voracious  crocodile,  it  was  looked  upon  as  an  enemy,  which  they 
willingly  destroyed, 'since  the  ravages  it  committed  at  night  in 
the  fields  occasioned  heavy  losses  to  the  farmer.” 

Naturalists  and  others  represent  the  hippopotamus  as  of  a mild 
and  inoffensive  disposition.  • It  may  be  so  in  regions  where  it  is 
unacquainted  with  man  ; but  from  the  numerous  unprovoked 
attacks  made  by  these  animals  on  voyagers,  and  the  very  great 
dread  entertained  of  them  by  the  Bayeye,  who,  so  to  say,  live 
amongst  them,  I am  inclined  to  believe  they  are  not  quite  such 
harmless  animals  as  we  are  given  to  understand.  In  ascending 
the  Teoge,  I saw  comparatively  little  of  them,  and  used  almost 
to  ridicule  the  natives  on  account  of  the  timidity  they  showed1 
when  these  beasts  made  their  appearance.  But  on  my  return 
journey,  I very  frequently  encountered  the  hippopotamus 
More  than  once  I narrowly  escaped  with  life,  and  found  that 
the  men  had  good  reason  to  fear  a contest  wth  this  truly 
formidable  animal. 

In  regions  not  much  visited  by  the  European  hunter  and  his 
destructive  companion,  the  fire-lock,  the  hippopotamus  appears 
as  a comparatively  fearless  animal,  not  unfrequently  abiding 
the  approach  of  man,  whom  he  apparently  surveys  with  a 
curious  and  searching  look,  as  much  as  to  say:  “Why  this  in- 
trusion upon  my  native  haunts,  which  I have  enjoyed  in  undis- 
turbed tranquillity  from  time  immemorial?”  But  man  is  cruel, 
and  by  his  relentless  persecutions  a nature,  once  so  unsuspicious 


112 


MEMOR  Y G REGARIOUS  HABITS. 


and  confiding,  is  soon  changed  to  that  of  the  most  timid  and 
circumspective,  causing  the  animal  to  take  instant  refuge  in  the 
water  on  hearing  the  least  noise. 

The  sagacity  of  the  hippopotamus  is  very  considerable.  In- 
deed. if  we  are  to  credit  the  testimony  of  Plinius,  the  cunning 
and  dexterity  of  this  beast  are. so  great  that,  when  pursued,  he 
will  walk  backwards  in  order  to  mislead  his  enemies.  “ The 
habits  of  the  animal,”  says  Dr.  Andrew  Smit  h,  “ are  opposed  to 
our  becoming  intimately  acquainted  with  it;  yet,  from  what  has 
been  noticed  of  its  adroitness  in  guarding  against  assailants,  in 
avoiding  pits  dug  purposely  to  entrap  it,  in  conducting  its  young 
both  in  and  out  of  the  water,  and  in  migrating  from  localities 
which  it  may  have  discovered  are  not  to  be  longer  held  with- 
out serious  danger  to  others  not  exposed  to  such  inconveniences 
— even  though  to  reach  those  it  may  require  to  make  long  jour- 
neys— are  all  evidences  that  it  is  far  from  the  stupid  animal  it 
has  been  frequently  described.” 

It  is  asserted  that  if  a hippopotamus  be  shot  dead  just  after 
calving,  the  offspring  will  immediately  make  for  the  water,  an 
element  which  it  has  never  vet  seen  ! 

Its  memory  is  also  considered  good.  “ When  once  a hippopo- 
tamus,” says  the  author  just  quoted,  “ has  been  assailed  in  its 
watery  dwelling,  and  injured  from  incautiously  exposing  itself, 
it  wili  rarely  be  guilty  of  the  same  indiscretion  a second  time  ; 
and  though  its  haunts  may  not  again  be  approached  by  hunters 
till  after  a long  period  has  elapsed,  it  will  survey  such  ap- 
proaches, and  perform  the  movements  necessary  for  its  respi- 
ration with  a degree  of  caution,  which  clearly  shows  that  it  has 
not  forgotten  the  misfortunes  to  which  an  opposite  course  had 
exposed  it.” 

The  hippopotamus  is  gregarious,  and  is  usually  found  in  troops 
of  from  five  or  six,  to  as  many  as  twenty  or  thirty.  It  is 
amusing  to  watch  these  animals  when  congregated;  to  see  there, 
alternately  rising  and  sinking  as  if  impelled  by  some  invisible 
agency:  in  the  while  snorting  most  tremendously,  and  blowing 
the  water  about  in  every  direction.  At  others,  they  will  rernaic 
perfectly  motionless  near  the  surface,  with  the  whole,  or  part, 
of  their  heads  protruding.  In  this  position,  they  look,  at  a tittle 
distance,  like  so  many  rocks. 

The  hippopotamus  is  a nocturnal  animal,  and  seldom  or  never 
feeds  except  during  the  night.  He  usually  passes  most  part  of 
the  day  in  the  water;  but  it  is  somewhat  doubtful  if  this  be  not 
rather  from  necessity  than  choice.  Indeed,  in  more  secluded 
localities,  one  most  commonly  sees  it  reclining  in  some  retired 


M 

NOCTURNAL  HABxTS DOMESTICATION.  41  3 

spot: — “ He  lietb  under  the  shady  trees,  in  the  covert  of  the 
reeds  and  fens.  The  shady  trees  cover  him  with  their  shadows, 
the  willows  of  the  brook  compass  him  about.”  Or  it  may  be 
under  shelter  of  an  overhanging  dry  bank  ; or,  at  least  with  its 
body  partially  out  of  the  water.  I have  not  unfrequently  found 
thp  animal  in  this  situation,  and  once  shot  an  immense”  fellow 
while  fast  asleep  with  his  head  resting  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

When,  from  fear  of  enemies,  the  hippopotamus  is  compelled 
to  remain  in  the  water  throughout  the  day,  it  takes  the  shore 
on  the  approach  of  night  in  order  to  feed.'  Just  as  it  emerges 
into  the  shallows,  it  has  the  peculiar  habit  of  performing  some 
of  the  functions  of  nature,  during  which  it  keeps  rapidly  thump- 
ing the  surface  of  the  water  with  its  stumpy  tail,  thereby  creat- 
ing a very  great  noise.  I have  known  from  twenty  to  thirty 
hippopotami  thus  occupied  at  once;  and,  to  add  to  the  din. 
they  would  at  the  same  time  grunt  and  bellow  to  such  a degree 
as  to  deprive  our  party  of  the  rest  that  exhausted  nature  but 
too  well  needed. 

During  the  nocturnal  excursions  of  the  hippopotamus  on 
land,  it  winders  at  times  to  some  distance  from  the  water.  On 
one  occasion  the  animal  took  us  by  surprise;  for, '.without  the 
slightest  warning,  it  suddenly  protruded  its  enormous  head 
within  a few  feet  of  our  bivouac,  causing  every  man  to  start  to 
his  feet  with  the  greatest  precipitation,  some  of  us,  in  the  con- 
fusion, rushing  into  the  fire  and  upsetting  the  pots  containing 
our  evening  meal. 

The  hippopotamus  would  seem  to  be  easily  domesticated. 
We  may  judge  so,  at  least,  from  the  fine  specimens  now  in  the 
Zoological  Gardens,  Regent’s  Park,  which  are  as  manageable 
as  most  of  the  larger  animals  of  that  magnificent  establish- 
ment. Though  these  are  the  first  living  specimens  that  ever 
found  their  way  into  England,  the  ancient  Romans  (who, 
during  their  conquests  in  Northern  Africa,  became  acquainted 
with  the  hippopotamus)  held  them  in  captivity.  This  may  b 


m. 


MEDAL 


414 


FI.ES  H H I D E T E E T H . 


safely  inferred ; for,  “ on  a medal  of  the  Emperor  Philip,  or, 
rather,  of  his  Queen  Otacilla  Severa,  is  a very  striking  likeness 
of  a young,  and,  perhaps,  hungry  hippopotamus,  designed  by 
some  Wyon  of  the  day.  This  is,  perhaps,  the  earliest  good 
figure  of  the  creature  ; and  its  representation  on  such  a place 
shows  in  what  estimation,  as  a novelty,  it  was  held.” 

For  the  information  of  the  curious  in  these  matters,  I may 
mention,  that  the  food  of  the  larger  of  the  hippopotami  now 
in  the  Regent’s  Park  Gardens,  when  first  shipped  at  Alexari-  ! 
dria,  in  1850,  and  when  yet  comparatively  a “ baby,”  consisted 
of  the  milk  of  two  cows  and  three  goats.  This  quantity,  how- 
ever, until  supplemented  with  Indian  corn-meal,  was  found 
insufficient  to  satisfy  his  voracity.  On  his  arrival  at  the  gar- 
dens, “ oatmeal  was  substituted  for  Indian  corn  ; and  the  change, 
with  'in  extra  supply  of  milk,  seemed  to  give  the  gigantic 
infant  great  satisfaction.”  By  degrees  vegetable  diet  was  sup- 
plied instead  of  milk  ; and,  at  the  present  day,  the  animal  is 
fed  on  clover,  hay,  corn,  chatf,  bran,  mangel-wurzel,  carrots,  and 
white  cabbage.  The  three  last-named  vegetables  constitute  his 
most  favorite  food.  On  this  (lcwt.  being  his  daily  allowance) 
he  thrives  wonderfully,  a proof  of  which  is,  that  since  his- 
arrival  (he  then  weighed  about  one  thousand  pounds)  he  has-  |; 
increased  more  than  a ton  in  weight. 

The  flesh  of  the  hippopotamus  is  highly  esteemed,  and  with 
justice,  for  it  is  very  palatable.  The  tongue  is  reckoned  a deli- 
cacy ; and  the  fat  (“speck,”  as  it  is  termed  by  the  colonists)  I 
is  very  excellent,  and  forms  a capital  substitute  for  butter.  In 
general,  both  flesh  and  fat  of  wild  animals  have  a peculiar,  and 
often  strong  flavor,  but  that  of  the  hippopotamus  is  an  excep- 
tion. 

The  hide  is  also  in  much  request,  and  forms  no  mean  arti- 
cle of  commerce  in  the  Cape  Colony.  As  already  mentioned, 
it  is  chiefly  converted  into  “ shambok's.”  In  Northern  Africa 
the  hide  is  used  as  whips  for  the  dromedary;  as  also  for  pun- 
ishing refractory  servants.  The  ancient  Egyptians  employed 
it  largely  in  the  manufacture  of  shields,  helmets,  javelins 
etc. 

But  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  hippopotamus  is  its  teeth, 
(canine  and  incisors),  which  are  considered  greatly  superior  to 
elephant-ivory,  and  when  perfect,  and  weighty — say  from  five 
to  eight  pounds  each — have  been  known  to  fetch  as  much  as 
one  guinea  per  pound.  It  is  chiefly  used  for  artificial  teeth,  for 
which  purpose  it  is  particularly  well  adapted,  since  it  does  not 
readily  turn  yellow7,  as  is  frequently  the  case  with  elephant- 


medicinal  virtues. 


415 


•vory ; as  also  for  instruments,  knife-handles,  and  a variety  of 
other  purposes. 

Medicinal  virtues  are  attributed  to  certain  parts  of  the  body 
of  the  hippopotamus.  According  to  Thunberg,  the  processus 
mamillaris  of  this  animal  is  an  effectual  remedy  for  the  stone 
and  gravel  ; and  “the  fat” — says  Kolben — “is  reckoned  an 
excellent  thing  against  a surfeit  and  a redundancy  of  humors  in 
fciie  body.” 


CHAPTER  X L I . 


*HE  BAYEYE  HARPOON  THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS THE  HARPOON  DESCRIBED— 

HOW  THE  CHASE  OF  THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS  IS  CONDUCTED  BY  THE  BA- 
YEYE  HOW  IT  WAS  CONDUCTED  BY  THE  ANCIENT  EGYPTIANS THE 

SPEAR  USED  BY  THEM FEROCITY  OF  THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS KILLED  BY 

GUNS FRIGHTFUL  ACCIDENT THE  DOWNFALL. 

On  the  Teoge,  and  other  rivers  to  the  northward  of  Ngami, 
the  natives  are  accustomed  to  harpoon  the  hippopotamus  in 
a somewhat  similar  manner  as  that  practiced  with  the  whale. 
I will  endeavor  to  describe  the  process,  which,  singularly 
enough,  has  never  to  my  knowledge  been  done  by  any  traveler 


The  harpoon  (of  iron),  a,  is,  aS  seen  in  the  above  diagram, 
short  and  strong,  and  provided  with  a single  barb,  b.  The 
shaft,  or  handle,  c c,  consists  of  a stout  pole  from  ten  to 
twelve  feet  in  length,  by  three  or  four  inches  in  thickness.  At 
the  inner  end  of  the  shaft,  c c,  is  a socket  for  the  reception  of 
the  harpoon,  a ; which  is  further  secured  to  the  shaft  (at  about 
one-third  from  the  socket)  by  a number  of  small  cords,  e e.1 

1 The  object  of  having  the  connecting  line  to  consist  of  a number  of  small 
cords,  instead  of  a single  stout  one,  is  to  reduce  the  chance  of  its  being  severed 
by  the  teeth  of  the  hippopotamus. 


HOW  THE  f H ASK  IS  CONDUCTED.  417 

These  cords,  when  the  animal  is  struck,  and  a strain  conse- 
quently comes  upon  them,  relax,  so  as  to  allow  the  harpoon  to 
slip  out  of  the  socket,  though,  of  course,  it  still  remains  attached 
to  the  shaft.  To  the  other  extremity  of  the  handle  is  fixed  the 
harpoon-line,  f,  which  is  strong,  and  of  considerable  length 
and,  to  the  end  of  this,  a “ float”  or  “ buoy,”  a.  From  the 
weight  of  the  shaft,  the  harpoon  is  seldom  or  never  hurled  at 
the  hippopotamus,  but  is  heid  by  the  harpooner,  who  drives  it 
either  vertically  or  obliquely  into  the  body  of  the  animal. 

Sometimes  the  chase  is  conducted  with  canoes  alone  ; at 
others,  in  connection  with  a “ reed-raft,”  similarly  constructed 
to  that  recently  described.  We  will  suppose  the  latter  plan  is 
adopted.  At  the  appointed  time,  the  men  assemble  at  the  ren- 
dezvous; and,  after  everything  has  been  duly  arranged,  and  the 
canoes,  needed  for  the  prosecution  of  the  hunt,  drawn  upon 
the  raft,  the  latter  is  pushed  from  the  shore,  and  afterwards 
abandoned  entirely  to  the  stream,  which  propels  the  unwieldy 
mass  gently  and  noiselessly  forward. 

Hippopotami  are  not  found  in  ail  parts  of  the  river,  but  only 
in  certain  localities.  On  approaching  their  favorite  haunts,  the 
natives  keep  a very  sharp  look-out  for  the  animals,  whose  pres- 
ence is  often  known  by  their  snorts  and  grunts,  whilst  splashing 
and  blowing  in  the  water,  or  (should  there  be  no  interruption  to 
the  view)  by  the  ripple  on  the  surface,  long  before  they  are 
actually  seen. 

As  soon  as  the  position  of  the  hippopotami  is  ascertained,  one 
or  more  of  the  most  skillful  and  intrepid  of  the  hunters  stand 
prepared  with  the  harpoons;  whilst  the  rest  make  ready  to 
launch  the  canoes,  should  the  attack  prove  successful.  The 
bustle  and  noise  caused  by  these  preparations  gradually  subside'. 
Conversation  is  carried  on  in  a whisper,  and  every  one  is  on  the 
.qui-vive.  The  snorting  and  plunging  become  every  moment  more 
distinct;  but  abend  in  the  stream  still  hides  the  animals  from 
view.  'The  angle  being  passed,  several  dark  objects  are  seen 
floating  listlessly  on  the  water,  looking  more  like  the  crests  of 
sunken  rocks,  than  living  creatures.  Ever  and  anon,  one  or 
other  of  the  shapeless  masses  is  submerged,  but  soon  again  makes 
its  appearance  on  the  surface.  On,  on,  glides  the  raft  with  its 
sable  crew,  who  are  now  work'ed  up  to  the  highest  state  of  ex- 
citement. At  last,  the  raft  is  in  the  midst  of  the  herd,  who. 
appear  quite  unconscious  of  danger.  Presently,  one  of  the  ani- 
mals is  in  immediate  contact  with  the  raft.  Now  is  the  critical 
moment.  The  foremost  harpooner  raises  himself  to  his  full 
height  to  give  the  greater  force  to  the  blow,  and,  the  next  in- 
27 


418 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS  IS  STRUCK 


stant,  th^  fatal  iron  descends  with  unerring  accuracy  in  the  body 
of  the  hippopotamus. 


THE  REED-RAFT  AND  HARPOONERS. 


The  wounded  animal  plunges  violently,  and  dives  to  the  bot- 
tom ; but  all  his  efforts  to  escape  are  unavailing.  The  line,  or 
the  shaft,  of  the  harpoon  may  break;  but  the  cruel  barb,  once 
imbedded  in  the  flesh,  the  weapon  (owing  to  the  thickness  and 
toughness  of  the  beast’s  hide)  cannot  be  withdrawn. 

As  soon  as  the  hippopotamus  is  struck,  one  or  more  of  the 
men  launch  a canoe  from  off*  the  raft,  and  hasten  to  the  shore 
with  the  harpoon-line,  and  take  a “ round  turn”  with  it  about  a 
tree,  or  bunch  of  reeds,  so  that  the  animal  may  either  be  “ brought 
up”  at  once,1  or,  should  there  be  too  great  a strain  on  the  line, 
“ played”  (to  liken  small  things  to  great)  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  salmon  by  the' fisherman.  But  if  time  should  not  admit  ot 
the  line  being  passed  round  a tree,  or  the  like,  both  line  and 
“ buoy”  are  thrown  into  the  water,  and  the  animal  goes  where- 
soever he  chooses. 


THE  SPEAR. 

The  accompanying  plate  represents  a hippopotamus  in  this  position. 


HE  DIES. 


421 


The  rest  of  the  canoes  are  now  all  launched  from  off  the  raft, 
and  chase  is  given  to  the  poor  brute,  who,  so  soon  as  he  comes 
to  the  surface  to  breathe,  is  saluted  with  a shower  of  light 
javelins,  of  which  the  above  wood-cut  is  a sample.  Again  he 
descends,  his  track  deeply  crimsoned  with  gore.  Presently — 
and  perhaps  at  some  little  distance — he  once  more  appears  on 
the  surface,  when,  as  before,  missiles  of  all  kinds  are  hurled  at 
his  devoted  head. 

When  thus  beset,  the  infuriated  beast  not  unfrequently  turns 
upon  his  assailants,  and  either  with  his  formidable  tusks,  or  with 
a blow  from  his  enormous  head,  staves  in,  or  capsizes  the  canoes. 
At  times,  indeed,  not  satisfied  with  wreaking  his  vengeance  on 
the  craft,  he  will  attack  one  or  other  of  the  crew,  and,  with  a 
single  grasp  of  his  horrid  jaws,  either  terribly  mutilates  the  poor 
fellow,  or,  it  may  be.  cuts  his  body  fairly  in  two! 

The  chase  often  lasts  a considerable  time.  So  long  as  the  line 
and  the  harpoon  hold,  the  animal  cannot  escape,  because  the 
“ buoy”  always  marks  his  whereabout.  At  length,  from  loss  of 
blood  or  exhaustion,  Behemoth  succumbs  to  his  pursuers. 

It  is  a remarkable  fact  that  almost  the  same  method  of  securing 
the  hippopotamus,  as  that  just  described,  was  adopted  by  the 
ancient  Egyptians.1 

“The  hippopotamus,”  says  Diodorus,  “is  chased  by  many 
persons,  each  armed  with  iron  javelins.  As  soon  as  it  makes  its 
appearance  at  the  surface  of  the  -water,  they  surround  it  with 
boats,  and  closing  in  on  all  sides  they  wound  it  with  blades, 
furnished  with  iron  barbs,  and  having  hempen  ropes  fastened  to 
them,  in  order  that,  when  wounded,  it  may  be  let  out,  until  its 
strength  fails  it  from  loss  of  blood.” 

The  many  drawings  relating  to  the  chase,  etc.,  of  the  hippo- 
potamus, to  be  found  on  the  sculptures  and  monuments  of 
Thebes,  would  seem  to  prove  that  the  ancient  Egyptians  greatly 
delighted  in  this  kind  of  sport.  One  of  these  representations  is 
shown  on  the  next  page,  and  has  been  borrowed  from  that 
valuable  work,  “The  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Ancient 
Egyptians,”  by  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson,  who  thus  explains  the 
very  interesting  illustration: 

“ The  chasseur  is  here  in  the  act  of  throwing  the  spear  at  the 
hippopotamus,  which  he  has  already  wounded  with  three  other 

1 In  some  parts  of  ancient  Egypt  the  hippopotamus  was  worshiped.  It  is  also 
said  to  have  been  a representation  of  Typho  (in  connection  with  the  crocodile)  and 
Mars.  According  to  Plutarch,  it  “ was  reckoned  amongst  the  animals  emblematic 
of  the  Evil  Being.” 


EGYPTIANS  AND  HIPPOPOTAMUS 


422 


it  for  the  fourth  time.  Behind  him  is  his  son,  holding  a fresh  j 
spear  in  readiness ; and  in  order  that  there  should  be  no  ques- 
tion about  the  ropes  belonging  to  the  blades,  the  fourth  is  seen 
to  extend  from  his  hand  to  the  shaft  of  the  spear  he  is  throw- 
ing. The  upupa,  heron,  and  other  birds  are  frightened  from 
the  rushes  as  the  boat  approaches;  and  the  fish,  with  a young 
hippopotamus,  seen  at  the  bottom  of  the  water,  are  intended 
to  show  the  communication  of  the  fenny  lake  with  the  Nile.” 

“ The  spear  they  used  on  these  occasions  was  evidently  of  a 
different  construction  from  that  intended  for  ordinary  purposes 
and  was  furnished,  as  Diodorus  observes,  with  a rope  for  let- 
ting out  the  wounded  animal,  in  the  same  manner  as  practiced 
by  the  modern  Ethiopians  there  was  sometimes  another  line 

1 Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson  informs  us  further,  that  the  inhabitants  at  Sennaar 
still  follow  up  the  practice  of  their  ancestors,  and,  like  them,  prefer  chasing  it  in 
the  river  to  an  open  attack  on  shore. 


THE  SPEAR  AND  REEL. 


428 


fastened  to  the  shaft,  and  passing  over  a notch  at  its  upper  end  ; 
which  was  probably  intended  to  give  the  weapon  a great  impe- 
tus, as  well  as  to  retain  the  shaft  when  it  left  the  blade.  The 
rope  attached  to  the  blade  was  wound  upon  a reel,  generally 


carried  by  some  of  the  attendants.  It  was  of  very  simple  con- 
struction, consisting  of  a half  ring  of  metal,  by  which  it  was 
held,  and  a bar  turning  in  it,  on  which  the  line  or  string  was 
wound.” 

Again  : “This  weapon,”  alluding  to  the  harpoon,  “ consisted 
ol  a broad  flat  blade,  furnished  with  a deep  tooth  or  barb  at  the 
side,  having  a strong  rope  of  considerable  length  attached  to  its 
upper  end,  and  running  over  the  notched  summit  of  a wooden 
shaft  which  was  inserted  into  the  head  or  blade  like  a common 
javelin.  It  was  thrown  in  the  same  manner  ; but,  on  striking, 
the  shaft  fell,  and  the  iron  head  alone  remained  in  the  body  of  the 


4 '•24  FEROCITY  OF  THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS 

animal,  which,  on  receiving  a wound,  plunged  into  deep  water 
the  rope  having  been  immediately  let  out.  When  fatigued 
by  exertion,  the  hippopotamus  was  dragged  to  the  boat,  from 
which  it  again  plunged,  and  the  same  was  repeated  till  it  be- 
came perfectly  exhausted ; frequently  receiving  additional 
wounds,  and  being  entangled  by  other  nooses  which  the  attend- 
ants held  in  readiness  as  it  was  brought  within  their  reach.” 

To  return.  If  the  hippopotamus  hunt,  as  just  described  by  me, 
was  conducted  altogether  from  the  reed-raft,  one’s  personal 
safety  would  be  little,  or  not  at  all,  endangered  ; for,  on  account 
of  the  great  size,  buoyancy  and  elasticity  of  the  raft,  the  animal, 
however  wickedly  inclined,  could  neither  “ board”  nor  capsize 
it.  But  when  one  pursues  him  in  a canoe — though  far  the  most 
exciting  way — the  peril,  as  shown,  is  considerable.  One  morn- 
ing, when  descending  the  Teoge,  we  met  a party  of  hippo- 
potami-hunters,  one  of  whose  canoes  had  been  upset  by  one  of 
those  animals,  whereby  the  life  of  a man  was  sacrificed.  Indeed, 
similar  mishaps  are  of  constant  occurrence  on  that  river. 

Our  own  safety,  moreover,  was  considerably  jeopardized  by 
a,  hippopotamus.  One  afternoon,  about  an  hour  before  sunset, 
1 sent  a canoe  with  several  men  in  advance,  to  look  out  for  a bi- 
vouac for  the  night,  and  to  collect  fuel.  They  were  scarcely 
out  of  sight,  when  an  , immense  hippopotamus,  with  its  calf, 
rushed  out  from  amongst  the  reeds,  where  she  had  been  con- 
cealed, and  passing  under  our  raft,  almost  immediately  after- 
wards made  her  appearance  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  Upon 
seeing  this  I lost  no  time  in  firing;  but,  though  to  all  appear- 
ance mortally  wounded,  we  lost  sight  of  her  at  the  time.  A 
few  minutes  afterwards,  however,  on  coming  to  a bend  of  the 
river,  we  fell  in  with  the  canoe  that  had  been  sent  on,  bottom 
uppermost;  and  found,  to  our  great  consternation,  that  the 
wounded  beast,  in  going  down  the  stream,  had  caught  sight  of 
the  canoe,  and  instantly  attacking  it,  had  with  one  blow  of  her 
head,  capsized  it.  The  men  saved  themselves  by  swimming,  but 
all  the  loose  articles  were  either  lost ‘or  spoiled  by  the  water. 
Fortunately  for  me,  however,  I had  taken  the  advice  of  the  Ba- 
yeye  to  remove  the  most  valuable  of  my  things,  such  as  books, 
instruments,  etc.,  to  the  raft,  previous  to  the  canoe  leaving. 

Innumerable  instances,  showing  the  ferocity  of  the  hippopota- 
mus, are  on  record.  “ Lieutenat  Vidal,”  says  Captain  Owen, 
in  his  Karrative  of  Voyages,  and  when  speaking  of  the  river 
Temby,  ‘‘had  just  commenced  ascending  this  stream  in  his 
boat,  when  suddenljr  a violent  shock  was  felt  from  underneath 
and  in  another  moment  a monstrous  hippopotamus  reared  itsell 


KILLED  BY  GUNS. 


42  0 

up  from  the  water,  and,  in  a most  ferocious  and  menacing 
attitude,  rushed,  open-mouthed,  at  the  boat — and,  with  one 
grasp  of  its  tremendous  jaws,  seized  and  tore  seven  planks  from 
her  side ; the  creature  disappeared  for  a few  seconds,  and  then 
rose  again,  apparently  intending  to  renew  the  attack,  but  was 
fortunately  deterred  by  the  contents  of  a musket  discharged  in 
ts  face.  The  boat  rapidly  filled,  but  as  she  was  not  more  than 
an  oar’s  length  from  the  shore,  the  crew  succeeded  in  reaching 
it  before  she  sank.  The  keel,  in  all  probability,  touched  the 
back  of  the  animal,  which,  irritating  him,  occasioned  the  furious 
attack  ; and,  had  he  got  his  upper-jaw  above  the  gunwale,  the 
whole  broadside  must  have  been  torn  out.  The  force  of  the 
shock  from  beneath,  previously  to  the  attack,  was  so  violent 
that  her  stern  was  almost  lifted  out  of  the  water,  when  the 
midshipman  steering  was  thown  overboard,  but,  fortunately, 
rescued  before  the  irritated  animal  could  seize  him.” 

In  justice,  however,  to  the  poor  hippopotamus,  who,  in  these 
parts,  has  already  earned  for  itself  a sufficiently  bad  name  for 
ferocity,  one  must  not  attribute  the  whole  of  the  casualties  that 
occur  on  the  Teoge  to  willful  attacks  on  the  part  of  the  animal ; 
for,  owing  to  the  narrowness  of  the  stream,  it,  doubtless,  at 
times,  happens  that,  on  coming  to  the  surface  to  breathe,  it 
accidentally  encounters  a canoe,  and,  in  its  fright,  or,  it  may  be, 
in  playful  frolic,  upsets  it. 

The  colonists,  and  others,  who  are  possessed  of  guns,  most 
commonly  shoot  the  animal  from  the  shore;  and  this  is  m-c  a 
matter  of  any  great  difficulty,  for  when  it  comes  to  the  surface, 
either  to  breathe  or  for  amusement,  “ a single  shot  through  or 
under  the  ear,”  as  Captain  Harris  truly  says,  “ is  fatal  to  the 
Behemoth.”  If  there  are  several  “ gunners,”  and  they  station 
themselves  on  opposite  sides  of  the  pool  where  the  hippopo- 
tami are  congregated  (in  which  case  the  animals,  when  rising 
to  the  surface,  invariably  come  within  range  of  one  or  other  of 
the  party),  great  slaughter  may  be  committed. 

Should  the  hippopotamus  be  killed  outright,  U usually  sinks ; 
but  in  about  half  a day  reappears  at  the  surface . and,  in  order 
eventually  to  secure  the  carcass,  it  is  only  necessary  to  keep  a 
sharp  look-out  in  the  stream  below. 

Shooting  the  hippopotamus  from  the  shore  is  attended  with 
but  little  danger.  Accidents,  however,  do  at  times  occur. 

“ A native,”  says  Mr.  Motfat,  “ with  his  boy,  went  to  the  river 
to  hunt  sea-cows.  Seeing  one  at  a short  distance  below  an 
island,  the  man  passed  through  a narrow  stream  to  get  nearer  to 
the  object  of  his  pursuit.  He  fired,  but  missed  ; when  the  ami- 


426 


THE  DOWNFALL 


mal  immediately  made  for  the  island.  The  man,  seeing  nip 
danger,  ran  to  cross  to  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  ; but,  before 
reaching  it,  the  sea-cow  seized  him,  and  literally  severed  his 
body  in  two  with  its  monstrous  jaws.” 

Various  devices  are  resorted  to  by  the  natives  of  Southern 
Africa  to  destroy  the  hippopotamus.  At  times,  he  is  entrapped 
in  pit-falls.  But  the  most  ingenious  plan,  and  which  will  be 
readily  understood  by  the  accompanying  wood-cut,  is  by  means 
of  the  downfall,  which  the  natives  would  seem  to  practice  with 
considerable  success. 

a is  Behemoth,  b,  a downfall,  consisting  of  a log  of  wood, 
c c,  stones  attached  to  the  downfall,  to  increase  its  weight,  d, 
the  harpoon  affixed  to  the  lower  end  of  the  downfall,  e,  a tree, 
or,  in  lieu  of  it,  an  artificial  support  of  about  twenty-five  feet 
in  height,  f f,  a line  attached  to  the  downfall,  which,  after 
having  been  passed  over  a branch  of  the  tree  or  artificial  sup- 
port, crosses  horizontally  the  path- way  that  the  hippopotamus 
is  in  the  habit  of  frequenting  during  his  nocturnal  rambles. 
When  the  animal  (which,  from  the  shortness  of  his  legs,  lifts 
his  feet  but  little  from  the  ground)  comes  in  contact  with  the 
line,  secured  on  either  side  of  the  path  by  a small  peg,  it  at  once 
snaps,  or  is  disengaged  by  means  of  a trigger.  The  liberated 
downfall  instantly  descends,  and  the  harpoon  is  driven  deep  into 
the  back  of  the  beast,  who,  wounded  and  bloody,  rushes  with 
pain  and  fury  to  the  nearest  water,  where  he  shortly  dies.  His 
death  is  sometimes  hastened  by  the  iron  being  poisoned. 


t 


? 

r 

a 

i 

I 

x 

X 

e 

a 

s 

CHAPTER  XLI I. 

g 

ISJ5TURN  TO  THE  LAKE THE  AUTHOR  STARTS  FOR  NAMAQUA  LAND  TO 

PROCURE  WAGONS NIGHT  ADVENTURE  WITH  A LION DEATH  OF  THK  j 

BEAST SUFFERINGS  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

After  about  a month’s  absence,  I returned  in  safety  to  the  Lake, 
and  was  delighted  to  tind  that  affairs  were  going  on  prosperously  . 
at  my  camp.  My  men,  however,  complained  much' of  the  beg-  * 
ging  and  pilfering  of  the  natives.  They  had  also  been  greatly  “ 
annoyed  by  Lecholetebe,  who  was  one  of  the  first  persons  I 
encountered  on  my  arrival.  I had  long  been  puzzling  my  r 
brains  how  I could  most  effectually  pay  oft'  the  chief  for  his  & 

! treachery,  and  had  resolved  to  assume  an  angry  and  dissatisfied 
air ; but  a glance  at  his  smooth,  sly.  smiling  face  was  sufficient  t 
to  mollify  every  feeling  of  resentment ; and  when,  with  the  most  ( 
innocent  look,  he  inquired  if  I had  seen  Libebe,  and  if  I felt  , 
satisfied  with  the  trip  in  general,  my  anger  was  turned  into 
mirth,  and  I burst  into  a hearty  laugh.  This  was  all  my  cunning  k 
friend  wanted:  he  seemed  like  one  resting  complacently  on  a( 
profound  sense  of  his  own  merits,  and  waiting  to  receive  the  i 
thanks  and  praises  which  he  felt  to  be  his  due. 

When  stopped  so  unexpectedly  in  my  exploring  career  by  the 
artifices  of  Lecholetebe,  I made  up  my  mind  to  return  forthwith 
to  the  Cape,  partly  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a fresh  outfit, 
and  partly  to  procure  boats  suitable  to  navigate  the  Ngarni  and  , 
its  water-sheds,  and  then  return  to  the  Lake  to  follow  up  my 
discoveries  But  it  was  not  to  be. 


. 


430 


DEPARTURE  FOR  NAM AQUA-LAND. 


As  the  reader  will  probably  remember,  I reached  the  Ngami 
by  means  of  pack-and-ride  oxen  ; but  I had  found  this  mode  of 
traveling  so  exceedingly  inconvenient,  that  I almost  dreaded  a 
renewal  of  it.  Moreover,  my  collection  of  ivory,  specimens  of 
natural  history,  curiosities,  etc.,  had  by  this  time  so  increased, 
that  1 found  my  few  remaining  half-broken-in  cattle  altogether 
inadequate  to  the  task  of  conveying  me  and  my  stores  to  the 
Cape.  A wagon  had  become  absolutely  necessary  ; and  the 
only  possible  way  of  obtaining  one  was  to  return  to  Namaqua- 
land,  where,  should  my  man  Eyebrecht  not  have  such  a vehicle 
at  my  disposal,  I was  in  hope  of  being  able  to  borrow  one  from 
the  natives.  To  insure  dispatch,  although  I stood  sadly  in 
need  of  rest  and  quiet,  I determined  on  undertaking  the 
journey. 

After  about  a week’s  stay  at  Batoana-town,  I set  out  for 
Namaqua-land  on  the  10th  of  September,  accompanied  by 
only  one  man,  leaving  Timbo  in  charge  of  the  camp  in  my 
absence. 

Before  I returned  to  the  Lake,  and  was  fairly  on  my  way 
home,  four  months  had  elapsed;  but,  though  this  portion  of  my 
travels  was  not  devoid  of  interest,  the  volume  has  already 
swelled  to  such  a bulk,  that  I must  content  myself  with  relating 
merely  one  striking  incident  that  befell  me,  and  a few  general 
remarks. 

Journeying  in  a very  lonely  part  of  the  country,  and  only 
accompanied  by  a single  native,  I arrived,  one  day,  at  a foun- 
tain, situated  in  a defile  between  some  craggy  rocks.  The  water 
zssued  from  different  parts  amongst  these  cliffs,  forming  little 
pools  here  and  there ; and,  though  the  place  was  difficult  of 
access,  elephants,  and  other  large  game,  were  in  the  habit  of 
flocking  to  the  water  nightly.  As  the  stony  nature  of  the 
ground  afforded  excellent  “ ambuscades,”  and  being  much  in 
want  of  provision,  I determined  to  watch  the  pools  in  question, 
for  a night  or  two. 

The  first,  night  was  a failure;  but  in  the  second,  I succeeded 
in  killing  a white  rhinoceros.  After  this,  though  I watched 
long  and  well,  nothing  appeared,  and  at  last  sleep  overtook  me. 
How  long  I slumbered  1 know  not;  but  on  a sudden  I tho  ught, 
or  dreamt,  that  I was  in  danger.  From  much  night-watching, 
my  hearing  and  sight  had  gradually  acquired  such  an  acuteness, 
that,  even  in  sleep,  I was  able  to  retain  a certain  consciousness 
of  what  was  passing  around  me  ; and  it  is  probable  that  I was 
indebted  to  this  remarkable  faculty  for  the  preservation  of  my  life 


ADVENTURE  AT  THE  SKARM. 


431 


on  the  present  occasion.  At  first,  I could  not  divest  myself  of  fear; 
and,  for  a while,  my  senses  were  too  confused  to  enable  me  to 
form  any  accurate  notion  of  the  imagined  danger.  Gradually, 
however,  consciousness  returned,  and  I could  distinctly  hear 
the  breathing  of  an  animal  close  to  my  face,  accompanied  by  a 
purr  like  that  of  a cat.  I knew  that  only  one  animal  existed 
in  these  parts , capable  of  producing  the  sound ; and  at  once  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  a lion  was  actually  stooping  over 
me. 

If  a man  had  ever  cause  for  dread,  I think  I certainly  had  on 
this  occasion.  I became  seriously  alarmed.  My  first  impulse 
was  to  get  hold  of  my  gun,  which  was  lying  ready  cocked  im- 
mediately before  me,  and  the  next  to  raise  myself  partially  from 
my  reclining  position.  In  doing  so,  I made  as  little  noise  as 
possible;  but  slight  though  it  might  be,  it  was  sufficient  to  at- 
tract the  notice  of  the  beast  who  uttered  a gruff  kind  of  growl, 
too  well  known  to  be  misunderstood.  Following  with  my  eyes 
the  direction  of  the  sound,  I endeavored  to  discover  the  lion 
but  could  only  make  out  a large  dark  mass  looming  through 
the  night-mist.  Scarcely  knowing  what  I was  about,  I in 
stinctively  leveled  my  gun  at  the  beast.  My  finger  was  on  the 
trigger;  for  a moment  I hesitated ; but,  by  a sudden  impulse 
pulled  it,  and  the  next  instant  the  surrounding  rocks  rang  with 
the  report,  followed  by  roarings  from  the  beast,  as  if  in  the 
agonies  of  deach.  Well  knowing  what  a wounded  lion  is  capable 
of,  and  how  utterly  helpless  I was,  I regretted  my  rashness 
The  wounded  beast,  who  at  times  seemed  to  be  within  a few 
paces  of  the  “ skarm,”  and  at  others  at  some  little  distance,  was 
lolling  on  the  ground,  and  tearing  it  up,  in  convulsive  agonies 
How  long  this  struggle  between  life  and  death  lasted  is  hard  to 
say,  but  to  me  it  appeared  an  age.  Gradually,  however,  and  to 
my  great  relief,  his  roars  and  moans  subsided,  and  after  a while 
ceased  altogether. 

Dawn  at  length  appeared:  but  it  was  not  until  after  some 
time,  and  then  with  much  caution,  that  I ventured  to  ascertain 
the  fate  of  the  lion,  who,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  I found  dead 
within  fifty  yards  of  my  place  of  concealment.  The  beast  was 
of  an  average  size  ; but,  unfortunately,  the  hyaenas  and  jackals 
had  played  sad  havoc  with  his  skin. 

Some  time  previously,  my  men,  Eyebrecht  and  Klaas  Zaal 
had  also  shot  a lion  in  this  identical  spot ; but  owing  to  his 
fearful  growls,  whilst  dying,  they  thought  it  best  to  decamp  at 
once  without  ascertaining  his  fate. 


432 


SUFFERINGS  OF  THE  AUTHOR 


During  the  four  months  that  I was  absent  from  my  men,  I 
traveled  either  alone  or  accompanied  by  a single  native,  some- 
times on  foot,  and  at  others  on  horse-back  or  ox-back,  over  up- 
wards of  a thousand  miles  of  country,  parts  of  it  emulating  the 
Sahara  in  scarcity  of  water  and  general  in  hospitality.  Tongue 
is  too  feeble  to  express  what  I suffered  at  times.  To  say  nothing 
of  narrow  escapes  from  lions  and  other  dangerous  beasts,  I was 
constantly  enduring  the  cravings  of  hunger  and  the  agonies  of 
thirst.  Occasionally,  I was  as  much  as  two  days  without  tast- 
ing food  ; and  it  not  unfrequently  happened  that  in  the  course 
of  twenty-four  hours  I could  only  once  or  twice  moisten  my 
parched  lips.  Sometimes  I was  so  overcome  by  these  causes, 
coupled  with  bodily  fatigue,  that  I fainted.  Once  both  my 
steed  and  myself  (as  seen  in  the  sketch  below)  dropped  down 
in  the  midst  of  a sand-plain,  where  we  remained  a long  time  in 
a state  bordering  on  unconsciousness,  and  exposed  to  all  the  in- 
jurious effects  of  a tropical  sun.  I would  at  times  pursue  my 
•course  with  a pained  and  listless  step,  scarcely  knowing  what 
I was  about  and  staggering  like  a drunken  man.  “This,”  says 
Captain  Messum,  when  speaking  of  the  hardships  he  had  under- 


AUTHOR  AND  STEED  BROKEN  DOWN. 


gone  in  a short  tour  into  the  interior  of  the  west  coast,  “wai 


SIGNAL  STATION 


433 


the  pleasure  of  traveling  in  Africa.  It  requires  the  endurance 
of  a camel  and  the  courage  of  a lion.” 


SlaNAt.  STATION  AT  CAPE-T0VTO. 


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Duke  University  Libraries 


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